Dal Fry (Yellow Lentil Curry)

Dal Fry is a flavoursome Indian lentil recipe made with toor dal (yellow split pigeon peas), moong dal (split de-husked green gram), onion, tomato & seasoned with few aromatic spices. It is vegan, gluten free and great option for lunch or dinner.

Dal is known as lentil in english & is an essential source of protein in vegan or vegetarian diet. The dal fry recipe shared here is easy, quick to make & makes for a comforting, delicious meal any day.

The Dal fry or yellow lentils recipe shared here is :

Vegan
Vegetarian
High Protein
Great option for everyday meals

After dal makhani, dal fry is second popular recipe of lentils in India. You will find it in almost all restaurant menus & hence it is often referred to as dhaba style or restaurant style dal fry. It is a medium spicy Indian lentil curry recipe with lots of vibrant flavours & aromatic Indian spices.

Lentils used in making Dal fry:

In this dahl fry recipe, the main lentil is going to be toor dal also known by tuwar dal, arhar dal or yellow split pigeon peas. The second lentil in this recipe is moong dal (split de-husked green gram), added in lesser quantity & gives the lentil a creamy consistency and adds some depth of flavours. If you don’t have moong dal you can use lal masoor dal (orange lentils).

I have made this yellow dal fry in pressure cooker on stove top but it can be made in Instant Pot too.

Can I make this dal without onion & garlic?

Yes you can easily make this dal without onion & garlic (Jain version of Dal fry). For those who are unaware, many people from Jain community refrain from eating onion & garlic. My mom always makes this dal without onion & garlic & it still tastes yummy.

Serving Ideas:

It can be served with hot phulkas, chapatis, naan or steamed basmati rice with salad on sides. If you want to make completely gluten free meal then you can serve it with ragi roti made using ragi or finger millet flour.

All the ingredients, substitutions & stepwise recipe is shared below. In case of any doubt please feel free to drop in comments. Hope you would like this easy dal fry recipe.

More dal or lentil recipes:

Ingredients: (Serves 3 to 4)

Arhar Dal / Toor Dal (Yellow Split Pigeon Peas)- 1/2 cup
Yellow Moong Dal (Small Yellow Lentil)- 1/4 cup
Water- 2 & 1/2 cups
Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp (or to taste)
Ghee / Oil- 2 tbsp
Asafoetida (Heeng) – A pinch (optional)
Cumin Seeds (Jeera)- 1 tsp
Garlic (minced)- 4 to 5 cloves
Ginger Paste- 1 tsp
Green Chillies (chopped)- 1
Onion (chopped)- 1 (medium size)
Tomato (chopped)- 1 (medium size)
Red Chilli Powder- 3/4 tsp (to taste)
Dried Whole Red Chilli- 1 (optional)
Lemon Juice-2 tsp
For tempering: (optional)
- Ghee / Oil- 1 tbsp
- Cumin seeds (Jeera)- 1 tsp
- Red Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
For garnishing:
- Fresh Coriander or Cilantro (chopped)- 2 to 3 tbsp

Substitutions:

Instead of lemon juice, you can even add 1/2 tsp of amchoor (raw mango powder).
If you are short of time then instead of fresh tomatoes, you can add 3 to 4 tbsp of tomato puree or paste.
Moong dal in this recipe can easily be replaced by ‘split masoor dal’ (red or orange lentils).

Directions:

Step 1:
Take both dal in a mixing bowl & wash thoroughly to get rid of dust. Soak them in water for 15-20 minutes. Soaking lentils makes them easily digestible & also reduces the cooking time.

Step 2:
Discard the water in which dal was soaked. Transfer these soaked dal in pressure cooker & add 2 cups of water, salt & turmeric to it. After 1-2 whistles, slow down the flame for 3 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the pressure get released on its own.

Step 3:
By the time pressure is releasing from cooker, let’s prepare the tadka for dal. Heat ghee or oil in a pan. Add jeera (cumin), heeng (asafoetida), ginger paste, garlic, green chillies and red chilli (if using). Sauté for 30-40 seconds.

Step 4:
Add chopped onions to the above pan & mix well. Sauté till they turn slightly translucent.

Add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder along with a big pinch of salt. Cook on medium-low flame for 5 to 6 minutes till tomatoes soften up. Add 1/2 cup water & bring it to boil.

Step 5:
Open the pressure cooker as the steam would have released by now. Transfer cooked dal to the above pan. Mix gently. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes to let dal absorb all spices and flavour. Stir in between.

Step 6:
Delicious healthy dal fry is ready. After switching off the flame add lemon juice & chopped coriander or cilantro. Stir gently and taste to adjust salt as per your taste. Serve with hot phulka, chapati or rice.

Optional Step: Before serving you can add ghee tadka (tempering) on dal fry. To make it, heat ghee in a small pan. Add cumin seeds & red chilli powder. Sauté for 20-30 seconds till seeds begin to crackle & then immediately pour over dal. This tempering adds lovely rustic aroma to the dal.

Notes:

The cooking time can vary slightly depending on the quality of lentils used. Sometimes lentils stored for a very long take more time to cook completely.
You can even add spinach in this recipe. Add 1 to 2 cups washed chopped spinach in step 5 before simmering the dal.
Any leftover dal can easily be stored in fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Lentils tends to thicken with time as they keep on absorbing moisture. If required add some water before reheating.
Instead of ghee tempering, you can even drizzle some chilli-garlic oil on top of dal before serving.

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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)