Pigeon pea or arhar dal cooked in a pressure cooker and tempered in the simplest manner to make a dal recipe which is pretty quick to make still gives delectable results, is arhar dal. This dal has the heat and flavor of Kashmiri red chili powder, the kick of lemon juice, the punch of cumin seeds and asafoetida, and the freshness of fresh coriander leaves. This is one of my favourite dinner recipes. Whenever I am on the go or not in a mood to cook, I look for simple lunch recipes/dinner recipes and end up making dal. Arhar dal or any other yellow dal, such as moong dal recipe is also easy and quick to make. This best part about this dal recipe is that it is the simplest recipe for dal still all the flavors speak out.
Dal is an indispensable part of the Indian dinner menu. Dal rice is such a comfort food. At my place I make sure to make one or the other dal once a day. Dal is the one of the best sources of proteins for the vegetarians. Dal recipes are forgiving and can be customised, as per your choice or requirement. Yellow dal, be in moong dal recipe or arhar dal are the most commonly prepared dal in the North of India. Let’s see what is required to make Arhar Dal Recipe
Arhar Dal: Your final dish will be as good as your ingredients. The recipe can not save food. Use good quality of dal.
Kashmiri red chili powder: This is a different red chili powder from the regular one. It is less hot, more red, and has a distinct flavor. For all my tadkas in my dal recipes and kadhi recipes, I prefer Kashmiri red chili powder instead of the regular one. More quantity of this is used as compared to the regular red chili powder, to give sufficient heat to the item prepared. For instance, 1 tsp of regular red chili powder = 1 and ½ tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder.
Tempering: The most basic tempering for any dal recipe, i.e. of heeng and jeera has been done. Kashmiri red chili powder brings a lot of flavor to the dal. Ghee has been used for the tempering. I have used 2 tbsp of ghee for this recipe, you can keep it up to 1 tbsp. I love the flavor of ghee and therefore I like to add more. And yes, ghee should not be substituted for oil.
Garnishing: Lots of fresh coriander leaves and lemon juice complete the dal.
An integral part of the lunch recipes and dinner recipes is dal. Be it the simple dal tadka recipe or a bit elaborate dal fry recipe, or the most common moong dal recipe, all of these and many more in our collection of dal recipes.
The best accompaniment for arhar dal is rice and green chutney. Serve arhar dal, rice and green chutney for a weekday lunch.
1.This recipe serves 3-4 persons.
2.In a pressure cooker add ½ cup of soaked dal. Add in 1 cup water followed by salt to taste and ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi).
3.Cook on high flame till the first whistle. Thereafter cook on low flame for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release. Open the pressure cooker. The dal will be soft and mushy. But thick. Add in water at the time of serving, as if you add water now and serve later, the dal will again thicken.
4.At the time of serving add hot water and let the dal simmer for 2 minutes.
5.Prepare the tempering. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee. Add in 1 tsp of cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida. Reduce the flame to low. Let the jeera cook slowly till it is dark brown. Slightly over cooked cumin seeds give a lot of taste to the dal.
6.Next add in 1 broken dry red chili. Cook for 10 seconds.
7.Switch off the flame. Add in 1 and ½ tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder. Cook for 10 seconds.
8.Add the tempering to the dal.
9.Add in juice of 1 lemon. Do not cut down the quantity of lemon juice. And garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Check and adjust the seasoning and consistency.
10.Serve hot. Bon appetit.
PREP TIME 5 minutes + 30 minutes soaking time
COOK TIME 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME 20 minutes + 30 minutes passive time
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