Gujarati Dal or the Gujarati Khatti Meethi Dal – a sweet and tangy dal prepared using tuvar dal .
Dal is a staple vegetarian dish made in every Indian home. It finds its place on the dining table in various forms and flavours depending on the region people belong to. It can be a simple dish cooked with minimum ingredients or an elaborate dish made with different veggies and spices. Some of the dal preparation on this blog are Maharashtrian Varan, Chinch Gulachi Aamti, Palak Dal, Dal Hari bhari, Dal Tadka, Ambat Varan, Five lentils Dal, Dal Banjari, Masoor Dal with vegetables, Drumstick Dal, Dal Dhokli and so on. Dal is rich in protein and plays an essential role in meeting protein requirements for vegetarians and vegans.
Jump to
About Gujarati Dal
Gujarati Khatti Meethi Dal, as the name suggests is a sweet and tangy dal from Gujararti cuisine. The dal is made using tuvar dal . The dal is cooked and tempered with spices to which jaggery and kokum is added which gives it the sweet and sour taste. It pairs well with steamed rice and rotis.
What sets this dal apart from other dals is its balance between sweet, sour and spicy flavours. The subtle sweetness from the jaggery, a touch of tanginess from kokum and the heat of the spices blend together harmoniously to make the dal flavourful.
It is often served as part of a traditional thali meal accompanied by rice, rotis, vegetables, chutneys, pickle and buttermilk.
List of ingredients
Split pigeon peas or Tuvar Dal : Tuvar Dal or Arhar dal is the main ingredient for this dish. However, tuvar dal can be replaced with masoor dal or moong dal.
Tomato
Spices : Red chillies, green chillies, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric powder, red chilli powder
Herbs: Curry leaves, ginger, coriander leaves
Other ingredients : oil, salt, asafoetida, kokum, jaggery and peanuts.
Step-wise recipe with pictures
Wash and soak the dal for 30 minutes.
Drain the water from dal and transfer to a pressure cooker. Add peanuts and 2 cups of water. Add turmeric powder and salt.
Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. Open the pressure cooker when the steam has escaped completely.Whisk the dal well . Keep aside.
Heat a pan. Add oil, Add mustard seeds, hing, methi seeds, crushed ginger, cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves, red chillies and green chillies. Saute for few seconds.
Add chopped tomato. Saute till the tomato turns soft.
Add cooked dal.
Next, add kokum, jaggery and mix well.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot
Recipe Card
Gujarati Dal
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Split pigeon peas (tuvar dal)
- 2 tbsp peanuts
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- a small piece of cinnamon Â
- 3 to 4 Â cloves
- ¼ tsp crushed ginger
- few curry leaves
- 3 dry red chillies
- 2 green chillies, slit vertically
- 1 medium sized tomto, finely chopped
- 3 to 4 petals of kokum
- 1 to 2 tbsp jaggery
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- salt to taste Â
- chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
Instructions
- Wash and soak tuvar dal for 30 minutes.Â
- Drain the water from dal and transfer it to a pressure cooker.
- Add peanuts and 2 cups of water.
- Add ½ tsp turmeric powder and salt.
- Pressure cook dal for 4 to 5 whistles.
- Open the pressure cooker when the steam has escaped completely.
- Whisk the dal well . Keep aside.
- Heat a pan.
- Add oil.
- Add mustard seeds, hing, methi seeds, crushed ginger, cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves, red chillies and green chillies. Saute for few seconds. Â
- Add chopped tomato.
- Saute till the tomato turns soft.
- Add cooked dal, kokum, jaggery and mix well.
- Add turmeric powder,red chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
- Â Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve Gujarati dal with steamed rice.
Frequently asked Questions
Can I use other dals such as moong dal or masoor dal instead of tuvar dal?
Definitely. You can replace tuvar dal with masoor dal or moong dal.
In case of non-availability of kokum, can tamarind be used?
Yes, you can use tamarind instead of kokum. If using tamarind, soak it in water for 15 to 20 minutes , Mash the tamarind. Strain and add the pulp into the dal.
Can sugar be used instead of jaggery?
Jaggery is the preferred choice for this dal. But if you do not have jaggery, you can add sugar.
Can ghee be used for the tadka (tempering) ?
Yes. You can use ghee instead of oil for tempering.
Recipe Video
Related Recipes
Maharashtrian Varan
Chinch Gulachi Aamti
Palak Dal
Dal Hari bhari
Dal Tadka
Ambat Varan
Five lentils Dal
Dal Banjari
Masoor Dal with vegetables
Drumstick Dal
Dal Dhokli
Thank you for stopping by. If you like/ tried this recipe, leaving a comment below the post will enable more readers and cooking enthusiasts to discover these recipes. Also, if you are on Instagram, do share a picture of the dish and tag @vanitascorner to be featured in my stories.
Do follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Subscribe to my youtube channel for easy video recipes.
Happy Cooking!!
