Dal fry recipe with step by step photos and a video recipe. Dal fry made with arhar dal (split pigeon peas), onion, tomato & basic spices.
This healthy & tasty comfort food can be made easily at home. It tastes the same as restaurant-style dal fry.
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Serve dal fry with roti, naan, or jeera rice. You can even serve it with simple steamed rice with some side dishes like Gobi 65, Gobi Manchurian, paneer masala, or mushroom masala.
What is Dal Fry?
Dal is the term used in the Indian language for legumes ( (lentils, beans, and peas). It may be whole or split.
Dal fry is prepared in the form of thick lentil soup made with onion, tomatoes, and various spices.
Dal fry gains its popularity from roadside eateries called "Dhaba". Then slowly adapted to the restaurants' menu.
Today dal fry is one of the popular vegetarian dishes in many Indian restaurants.
In this post, I am sharing the recipe to make Restaurant style Dal fry at home.
Recipe features
- Quick & easy to make - You can make it within 30 minutes.
- Easy to customize – see the ingredient list below for alternative ingredients. You can add or skip the ingredients as per your taste.
- Vegan & Gluten-free
Ingredients:
- Dal - I have used toor dal/arhar dal. You can use any dal of your choice. You can also use a combination of dal like arhar dal & moong dal. This combination of dal is mostly used to make dhaba style dal fry.
- Onion
- Tomato
- Ginger-garlic paste
- Spice powders - Turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder & salt.
- Ghee/clarified butter - You can skip & add regular cooking oil too. But ghee enhances the flavor & aroma of dal fry.
- For Tempering - mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida (hing), & dried red chilies. Curry leaves are optional. Skip if you do not have it.
- Herbs - Kasuri methi & coriander leaves.
For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.
How to make restaurant-style dal fry
Preparations:
Pressure cook the toor dal
- Rinse toor dal with water a couple of times until clear water appears.
- Put the toor dal in a pressure cooker. Add water, turmeric powder, and oil to it. Mix it well.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook it for 3-4 whistles. Switch off the flame.
- Once cooled, mash the dal with the back of the ladle. Keep it aside.
- Chop the onion, tomatoes, green chili, and coriander leaves. Keep it aside.
Making the dal fry
- Heat 2 teaspoon of ghee/clarified butter in a Kadhai/Indian wok.
- Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
- Now add cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, dried red chilies & fry it for a minute.
- Add chopped onions and fry it till onions are translucent.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of ginger & garlic leaves.
- Next, add coriander powder, red chili powder & garam masala powder and saute it for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes, green chili, and salt. Mix it. Cover and cook until tomatoes are soft. This will take 3-4 minutes.
- Now add 1 cup water and cooked toor dal. Mix it well.
- Add kasoori methi and coriander leaves.
Mix it well. Cover and cook until it comes to a boil.
- Dal fry is ready to serve. Serve it with Jeera rice or Roti/Chapati.
Cooking Tips
- Use ghee (clarified butter) for the tempering. It enhances the flavor and taste of dal fry.
- Dal fry has a thick consistency. Do not make it too thin or else you will not get the exact taste of dal fry.
- In this recipe, I have used arhar dal to make dal fry but you can use any dal of your choice. You can use a combination of dal like arhar dal & moong dal also.
- The addition of kasuri methi gives dal fry a unique flavor. Do not skip it.
- Whenever you add kasuri methi, slightly roast it and crush it with your palms then add it to the gravy.
Recipe FAQs
Serve Dal fry with Indian flatbread (like Roti’s or Chapatis) or with plain rice.
Jeera rice and dal fry are a perfect combination and our family's favorite too.
You can make it for guests or for special occasions.
1) When dal fry is made tempering is done before adding the cooked dal. While making dal tadka tempering is done at the end.
2) For making dal tadka onions are not added but to make dal fry onions are added.
Dal fry can be made only with Toor dal (split pigeon peas) or with a combination of Toor dal, chana dal (Split Bengal Gram), and moong dal (Split and skinned green gram).
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Recipe Card
dal fry recipe, how to make restaurant-style dal fry at home
Ingredients
To pressure cook the dal
- 1 cup toor dal/tuvar dal/arhar dal/split pigeon peas
- 2 cup water (to pressure cook the dal)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi powder)
- 1 teaspoon oil
For making dal fry:
- 2 teaspoon ghee/clarified butter
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 spring curry leaves
- a pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 2 dried red chilies (sukhi lal mirch)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (adrak lasun ka paste)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirchi powder)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- salt to taste
- 1 green chili, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, dried fenugreek leaves
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
Instructions
Preparations to be done:
- Pressure cook the toor dal - Rinse toor dal with water for a couple of times.
- Put the toor dal in a pressure cooker. Add water, turmeric powder and oil to it. Mix it well.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook it for 3-4 whistles. Switch off the flame.
- Once cooled, mash the dal with a ladle. Keep it aside.
- Chop the onion, tomatoes, green chili, and coriander leaves. Keep it aside.
Making the dal fry
- Heat 2 teaspoon of ghee/clarified butter in a Kadhai/Indian wok.
- Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
- Now add cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, dried red chilies & fry it for a minute.
- Add chopped onions and fry it until onions are translucent.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of ginger & garlic leaves.
- Next, add coriander powder, red chili powder & garam masala powder and saute it for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes, green chili, and salt. Mix it.
- Cover and cook until tomatoes are soft. This will take 3-4 minutes.
- Now add 1 cup water and cooked toor dal. Mix it well.
- Add kasuri methi and coriander leaves. Mix it well. Cover and cook until it comes to a boil.
- Dal fry is ready to serve. Serve it with Jeera rice or Roti/Chapati.
Video
Notes
- The addition of curry leaves is optional.
- Make sure the consistency of dal fry is thick. Do not make it too thin.
- Use ghee/clarified butter for the tempering. It enhances the flavor of dal fry.
- You can reduce the quantity of tomatoes and add lemon juice.
- You can use any dal of your choice. Or use a combination of arhar dal & moong dal.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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srimayyia
Very nice recipe.
Aditi
Nice one. I will try.