Degchi
Daal
Also written: dal, dhal, lentils
- Urduدال
- Hindiदाल
- Banglaডাল
Daal is two things at once: the dried split pulses themselves, and the soupy or thick dish you cook from them. That is why one recipe can say "rinse the daal" and another can say "serve the daal with rice".
The usual types are masoor (red lentils), moong (split mung beans), chana (split chickpeas), toor or arhar (pigeon peas) and mash or urad (split black lentils). Red lentils and moong are the quick ones and tend to fall apart on their own. Chana daal holds its shape much longer, and our split chickpea recipe starts with a 30 minute soak for that reason. Our split black lentil recipe, daal mash, finishes with a tarka too.
The method is nearly always the same. Rinse until the water runs nearly clear, simmer with turmeric and salt until soft, mash or whisk if you want a smoother pot, then finish with a tadka of ghee, cumin and garlic. Skim the foam if it rises.
If a daal is thicker than you want, stir in hot water, not cold, and let it come back to a simmer for a minute. If it is thin, simmer it uncovered. Daal also thickens as it rests, so leave it slightly looser than you want it on the plate.
Recipes that use it
29 of our 247 recipes call for daal or a closely related ingredient. Here are a few to start with.
- Dal Tadka
- Split Chickpea Lentils
- Split Black Lentils
- Split Mung Bean Lentils
- Musurir Dal (Bengali Red Lentils)
- Bottle Gourd with Split Chickpea Lentils
Read next
What Can I Cook With Red Lentils (Masoor)? 7 Dishes From a 30-Minute Daal to Haleem