Traditional Indian Dahl

Step 1

Soak the toor dahl in water for at least 30 minutes but preferably a bit longer. This step is crucial in ensuring the grains break down effectively and will make your dahl creamier. Once soaked, drain out all the water. You will note that the raw dahl has almost expanded – this is a good thing!

Step 2

If you have a pressure cooker pour in the dahl with about 4 cups of water. You should have a ½ inch layer of water over your dahl. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can make this in a saucepan but I recommend you soak your dahl overnight in that case so that it cooks faster. You may also need to keep topping up the water to ensure the dahl doesn't burn at the bottom of the pan.

Step 3

Add in the turmeric and the salt.

Step 4

In the pressure cooker, cook for about 20-30 minutes. In the saucepan, you may need 45 mins - 1 hour. What you want, is the lentil to crush easily when pinched between your fingers. The dahl will have soaked up the water.

Step 5

Give it a quick blend using a hand blender or if you wish to have an arm workout with a whisk and there you have it – amazing, simple, dahl.

Step 6

Most kids will like to have it just like this with a bowl of rice. If you prefer a bit more flavouring you can make a tadka. The one I've suggested above is a very simple one. You can also add curry leaves, mustard seeds and some chopped tomato to your tadka if you prefer your dahl to have more zing.

Step 7

Remember, more tadka ingredients means you may need to add a bit more ghee.

Step 8

For the tadka, heat up the ghee in a small saucepan until it is sizzling hot. Add in the minced garlic and stir until it is brown. Add in the cumin seeds and cook for another minute or two. Pour the sizzling hot ghee onto your dahl and mix.

Step 9

Eat with a bowl of hot rice with some pickle on the side.