Being an Indian, I grew up eating my comfort food dal chawal, almost every day, of course with variation in dal. Today, I am sharing the recipe of one of the simplest dal recipes- moong masoor dal which is made by cooking two different types of lentils together and then tempering it with some basic ingredients. Some of my most cherishable childhood memories are of the afternoons when after coming back from school, my sister and I used to share the whole day’s events and stories with our mother while enjoying dal chawal with some pickle, tossed veggies, salad, and raita.
What is Dal
Dal is the Hindi word for lentil and it’s a staple food of many South Asian countries. Usually, not only the lentils but beans too are considered as dal in India. Dal is a very rich source of protein so if you want to add protein sources to your vegetarian or vegan diet, make lentil a regular part of your daily meal. With so many varieties of lentils available in the market, where each lentil has its own unique flavor, texture, and health benefits, you never get bored with this ingredient. Some lentils are even sold in three different forms i.e. whole(sabut), split(dali) and washed-split(dhuli). The taste of a lentil in one form is totally different from the other forms. Also, the flavor of the same lentil changes a lot just by changing the ingredients used in tempering. That’s the reason most of the Indians eat dal every single day without getting bored. Every region in India has a slightly different way of preparing dal. The basic step of almost every dal recipe is very simple and the same i.e. boiling dal with salt and turmeric. After that, it’s tempered with different ingredients. The ingredients used to temper are different in different regions and that’s the reason it tastes different everywhere.
How to serve dal
Dal can be served with both rice as well as roti or any other Indian bread. Some lentils taste better with rice others with roti. Moong masoor ki dal tastes good with both. You can also enjoy them as flavorful lentil soup. My favorite way of enjoying dal is with some plain steamed rice or jeera rice.
More vegan Indian lentil recipes
If you also want to make dal a regular part of your diet then don’t miss to check the following recipes on my blog: Do try them at home when you want to eat something simple, nutritious, and tasty. If you try any of my recipes then please don’t miss to rate it in the comments section below. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Step by step photo instructions
Recipe
