Gujarati Dal (Healthy Lentil Soup)


Gujarati Dal
Gujarati Dal is famous for its spices, and the distinct taste of sugar; never before has sugar & spice tasted so great together! The traditional Gujju Dal is made from Tuver dal, and characteristically uses ingredients like Kokum, cloves, peanuts, sugar and methi, which give it a subtle flavor. This is one "no onion, no-garlic" recipe that will be cherished for ages, by Gujaratis(people from a state in western India) and non-gujaratis alike! It is a highly versatile recipe - you can modify it to suit your taste-buds. Healthy and filling at the same time, it can be consumed by itself as a Lentil Soup, or can be paired with rice or rotis for a complete meal. Anyway you eat it, you are sure to enjoy the taste of authentic Gujarati Dal!

Ingredients
2 cups Tuver Dal
10-12 raw peanuts
1 tsp each of mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp methi seeds(dried fenugreek)
2-3 cloves (lavang)
5-6 curry leaves
3-4 pieces of dried kokum
1 tsp ginger-green chili paste
a pinch of asafoetida (hiing)
salt - to taste
sugar or jaggery - to taste
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp coriander powder(dhana-jeeru powder)
lemon juice - to taste
1/2 tomato - chopped
3 tbsp coriander - chopped

Method
Take the tuver dal and pressure cook it (covered upto 5 whistles) with a little extra water to make it soft. Add the peanuts, jaggery and kokum in the cooker along with the dal.

Now take a saucepan, add some mustard and jeera seeds, black cloves, and a pinch of asafoetida. When the seeds start to splutter, add the cooked dal in the pan. Use a hand blender to make a thick soup and add water to achieve the consistency you like.

Now add salt, sugar, lemon juice(to taste), and all the dry spices. Add curry leaves, chopped tomatoes, green chili-ginger paste, half of the chopped coriander and bring the mixture to a boil. Then lower the flame, cover partially, and let it cook for another 8-10 mins.

Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves. Serve the traditional Gujarati Dal with a hot plate of Jeera Rice!

Related Recipes:
Panchvati Garlic Dal
Gujarati Kaddhi


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10 comments :

amna said...

peanuts in dal? wow! thats definitely new to me :)

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious. I wonder how to make it without a pressure cooker? I'm not sure if I'm capable of making something without garlic, but I'd love to give it a try!

Anonymous said...

aah! this looks gorgeous! I love the Dal that they serve at gujarati weddings! and yours sounds just as inviting:)

-anitha

Rachel said...

peanuts and jaggery in dal...very new to me....

Mansi said...

yes, there are a few things that make this Dal a hot favorite, and peanuts and jaggery are definitely some of them!

FK - pressure-cook would be the best way, but you could try boiling it with plenty of water so that it becomes really mushy, then blend it in a mixer to make a thick soup. or you could use a regular slow-cooker that you get in the US, except that it would be a bit time-consuming:)

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

The idea of soup with no onion or garlic made me skeptical, but once I read the recipe I realized it's one I must try.

Fearless Kitchen - There is always directions for cooking in a pot on the back of a package. It takes a little more time, but it's not look cooking other dried beans.

delhibelle said...

I adore gujju dal, thank you for an authentic recipe:)

A_and_N said...

I love Gujju food, and this is going to be made soon! :)

Anonymous said...

I love any type of dal recipe. SO satisfying at the end of a meal.

Swati Raman Garg said...

hey mansi how have you been doing... after a long time huh... this is a new recipe for me.... yesterday i had this dal shorba in a rest and it was amazing.... this reminds me of that