Gujarati Dal

Gujarati Dal

TRADITIONAL GUJARATI TUVER/TOOR DAAL

Gujarati food is pure comfort in our house as we have all grown up eating it. My grandmas both had their own recipe and now my Mum has taught me her authentic Gujarati way. I make this daal with my typical Gujarati thaali which is consist of plain boiled rice, chapatti, dry sabji and salad. It has a tangy, sweet and spicy taste and has got a runnier consistency compared to other daals. It is smooth daal as the lentils are cooked and then blended before adding more flavours. Suran is unique to Gujarati daal and enhances the flavour of the daal. Suran is often used in Gujarati daals that are made for Gujarati weddings! Peanuts are another festive addition. This Gujarati wedding daal has no onion-garlic and often served with Gujarati Churma Na Ladwa, Gujarati Jamanvar nu Bateta Nu Saak and Masala Fulwadi in a wedding or other occasions. We also add jaggery in the cooking process to bring sweetness which is essential for a good Gujarati daal. The secret for the best gujarati daal is to keep it simmering on a low heat for a long time – around half an hour This daal has its own unique taste so will best accompany other Gujarati foods and flavours, especially more dry curries. Do not pair it with onion-garlic based curries or flavours from other cuisines if you want to enjoy the true taste of this daal. Tindora Nu Shaak goes so well with it. Try these No onion-garlic curry recipes.

Khatti Meethi Gujarati Dal

✓ has the right balance of sweetness, spiciness and sourness ✓ Packed with goodness such as protein. ✓loaded with flavours and deliciousness

This Gujarati Tuver Dal is made with:

Tuver/Toor Daal – aka Pigeon pea, it is a yellow lentil that is most used in Gujarati cooking. The lentils make this daal high in protein which is why the daal is served with rice. Malawi variety is the best.

Suran – suran or elephant foot yam is a tuber and is a key ingredient to Gujarati daal. You can either buy fresh suran or frozen. Frozen is usually sold in chunks and is a better option if you are only using it for daal as if you buy fresh you will have loads leftover! I personally have not noticed a difference in the taste between using fresh or frozen suran.

Green chilli and ginger – can be added after boiling the daal so when it comes to blending, the green chilli and ginger will blend with it – saving you having to crush it separately

Tamarind/Imli – to get that unique sweet and sour taste to the gujarati daal, we add a small piece of imli. If you don’t have imli, kokum (a small dried fruit) can be added for sourness too as it is a usual substitute for tamarind.

Jaggery – added to sweeten the daal.

Peanuts – they add a wonderful crunch.

Curry leaves – these gorgeously fragrant leaves really enhance the flavour of the daal. They cab be added during the tempering process.

Spice powders – red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder and garam masala

Mustard Seeds

Methi seeds – they are bitter so you only need a pinch of these, but they emit really good aroma and lends good taste – optional

Fresh coriander chopped – to garnish. Add the coriander when about to serve so that it has not overly wilted by the time you serve

Oil – for tempering known as vaghar. Usually in India groundnut or peanut oil is used for daal.

How to make Gujarati Khatti Meethi Dal? – step by step recipe

1. Wash lentils in running water and place it in the pressure cooker with suran and sufficient water.
2. Pressure cook daal for 3-4 whistles, that depends on good quality daal but in maximum 5-6 whistle daal should be cooked.
3. When pressure cooker cools down naturally, add whole chilli and ginger (only if you are going to blend it with the electric blender) my mum taught me this trick 😄 if not mince chilli and ginger separately.
4. Blend it with the hand blender, whisker or traditional daal churner called ‘Jerni’ and transfer the daal in another pan.
5. Until very smooth.
6. Add raw peanuts.
7. Jaggery if not available regular sugar will work fine.
8. Add fresh curry leaves.
9. and cloves.
10. Add four masalas and salt.
11. Now add tamarind pulp.
12. Mix it with the big spoon.
13. Bring it to boil and boil for 7-8 minutes.
14. Simmer the daal for good 15-20 minutes
15. Prepare vaghar/tadka/temepring by heating oil in a small pan called ‘Vaghariyu’.
16. Once the oil is hot add red chilli, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds if using.
17. Once seeds crackle add hing, pour the vaghar on cooked daal.
18. Garnish it with the finely chopped daal. → Can I use non-oily toor daal? Yes, In Gujarat, we use oily toor daal which is coated with cottonseed oil to make this daal. But if you can’t find you can use non-oily arhar daal. If you sue non-oily toor daal, add few drops of oil when you cook in the pressure cooker. → Do I need any special Gujarati Dal Masala for this recipe?  To make tasty and lip-smacking Gujarati daal, you do not need any shop-bought special or fancy Gujarati Dal/Shaak masala. Only with everyday basic masala would do a fantastic job if you follow our recipe. → What can I skip for everyday Gujarati Daal?  To make everyday Gujarati Daal you don’t have to add peanuts, suran or cloves, without these ingredients still you’ll be able to make tasty and delicious daal with this recipe. Sometimes we add one small chopped tomato too. → How to cook daal without a pressure cooker? Every Gujarati household keep either stovetop or electric pressure cooker to cook their lentils and beans, it saves lots of time and energy. However, don’t dishearten because even without pressure cooker you still can make and enjoy this daal, it will take more time that’s all. Wash and soak lentils in hot water for half an hour to one hour. Add 3 cups of water if you have 1 cup of lentils. Boil on the stovetop in a saucepan for good 45-50 minutes. → Can I cook arhar daal in advance?  According to many busy working people to make this daal every day is quite a task, and many put off by looking at the ingredients and time. My suggestion is that whenever you get time, boil the daal in big quantity. Once cools down, store in small containers and freeze it for up to a month. Whenever feel like making this daal, just take out from the freezer and add masala and boil it away. → What can I do with leftover Gujarati daal?  Use leftover Gujarati daal in making very delicious and popular Gujarati Daal Dhokli or Daal Paratha. → How to serve Gujarati Daal? Usually, this daal is served at lunch in India or dinner time in the UK (here we have our main meal in the evening) in a typical Gujarati Thali. A typical everyday Gujarati thali comprises of Daal-Bhaat-Saak and rotli (paper-thin wholewheat flatbreads) along with salad, pickle, plain yogurt or chaas and roasted papad. Usually, the first bowl of daal is eaten with saak and rotli then generously eaten with plain steaming hot rice with a dollop of ghee.

Try some of our other daal recipes:

Dhaba Style Dal fry  – an all-time popular recipe on J Cooking Odyssey! Mash ki Daal Mixed lentil and Suva Bhaji daal Garlic Masoor Daal with Carrot Greens Sprouted Mung Beans and Amaranth Daal