It is never a complete balanced meal for us Indians, if we do not have lentils or pulses in our meal. India is also blessed with a great variety of lentils. One such common preparation is tur dal which is an essential part of North Indian cuisine in particular. So, in this post, I have shared a mildly spicy and delicious Punjabi style Aahar Dal recipe made with either Pigeon Peas or Yellow Lentils. The recipe is simple, yet comforting and nutritious.
About Arah Dal
Hulled and split pigeon dal are called arahar dal, tuvar dal and tur dal in Hindi. These lentils have a yellow color and a nutty flavor. This lentil is also called yellow lentil because of its colour.
Also called Aahar Dal as this curry and tempered lentil is made with pigeon dal.
There are many ways to prepare dal or lentil-based dishes and this recipe is one such popular method. Thus, these yellow lentils are often cooked in North India and Punjab.
The consistency of this yummy toor dal is not thin but a bit thick. This consistency makes it an excellent choice to go with naan, tandoori roti or paratha.
In fact, you can make it with your regular phulka or chapati for a satisfying and heart-warming meal at home. It also goes well with steamed rice or cumin rice.
The difference between this aahar dal cooked in Punjabi style and other recipes is that while other dishes use only oil or ghee (clarified butter), this particular recipe uses a reasonably good amount of butter.
Initially, butter or ghee is used to make this tuvar dal onion-tomato masala. Butter is added at the final stage of cooking the dal. Some variations may contain coriander powder, but I don’t add it.
So basically, you are pressing the lentils with ginger, turmeric powder and onion until they are completely mixed. Then, mix the cooked arahar dal mixed with whole spices, tomatoes, green chillies, garlic, onion and ingredients like turmeric powder, red chilli powder, hing (asafoetida) and garam masala powder (optional).
Toor dal is further flavored by adding dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), dry mango powder (amchur powder) and a sprinkling of chopped fresh coriander leaves.
About my recipe for tur dal
As mentioned earlier, for this Aahar Dal recipe I pressure cook the lentils first. Cooking pigeon dal in pressure cooker is really easy. But you can also cook dal in one pot.
It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook this dal in one pot. In the notes section of the recipe description, I have mentioned the method of cooking dal in a pan or pot.
In tempering, cloves and tej patta (Indian bay leaves) are added. However, Tejpatta is not related to bay laurel leaf. Both have different tastes. So, use bay leaves and not bay leaves in this toor dal recipe. Tejpatta has an aroma similar to that of cinnamon bark.
Lentils should be cooked very well and should be of a consistency that can be mashed easily. To know the consistency of lentils and how this dal is prepared, you can also watch a step-by-step demonstration of this popular restaurant-style dal tadka.
Expert tips
- You can easily cook pigeon dal or yellow lentils in an oven pressure cooker, pot or pan or even in an instant pot.
- While cooking lentils in a pot or pan, you can add a few drops of oil which will reduce the mushyness of the lentils. Be sure to soak the lentils for an hour before cooking them in a pan or pot.
- If the water seems to have evaporated while cooking the lentils in the pot or pan, you can add some more hot water to cook the lentils.
- You can temper oil, ghee (clarified butter) or even butter.
- Tej patta and garam masala powder are optional in this recipe. You can skip adding this.
- If you don’t have dry mango powder (amchur powder), you can also add some lemon juice to the dal. This is also optional and you can make dal without some tang in it.
More lentil recipes to try!
Pulses (lentils) and legumes
Moong dal recipe Moong dal fries and tadka
Pulses (lentils) and legumes
Chana Dal (split chickpeas)
Pulses (lentils) and legumes
Lentil Recipe | Delicious Indian Red Lentil Recipe
Pulses (lentils) and legumes
Dal Fry Recipe | How to make dal fry
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Arhar dal Your pulse Tuvar dal
This Aahar Dal or Tor Dal is a mildly spicy and delicious Punjabi style dal made with pigeon peas or yellow lentils. The recipe is simple, yet comforting and nutritious.
Q. Time 20 minutes
cooking time 15 minutes
total time 35 minutes
For pressure cooking lentils
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Cooking arahar dal
Wash the lentils well in water several times. Drain the water.
Add lentils with water in a 2 liter pressure cooker.
Add finely chopped onion, ginger and turmeric powder.
Stir to mix. Cover the cooker tightly with a lid.
Pressure cook on medium flame for 8 to 9 whistles till lentils are fully cooked, tender and soft.
Open the lid only when the pressure in the cooker is reduced normally. Check the lentils and they should have a consistency that can be mashed easily.
Mash the lentils with a spoon or wire whisk. Keep the cooked lentils aside.
If the dal seems thick, add little hot water and keep it aside.
Your dal is made
Heat oil in another pan. Keep the heat low. When the oil is hot, add bay leaves, cloves and cumin seeds.
First boil the cumin seeds and fry them. Then add the garlic and fry for 10 to 12 seconds.
Add finely chopped onions and fry on low to medium-low heat until they soften or turn light golden.
Add green chillies and fry for few seconds.
Add turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala powder and hing.
Stir to combine the ground spices and then add the finely chopped tomatoes.
Fry on medium-low to medium heat until the tomatoes are soft and you will see the oil leaving the sides of this base onion-tomato masala mix.
Finally add kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and fry for few seconds.
Pour this tempering over the cooked and mashed dal.
Add 1 tbsp butter or ghee (optional) and salt. You can add some water here if needed.
Stir and cook the arahar dal for 5 to 6 minutes or more until it reaches a slightly thick consistency. You can keep medium consistency of dal if you want.
- If you want a slightly sour taste to the dal, add a few drops of lemon juice or half a teaspoon of amchur powder (dried mango powder) towards the end. If dry mango powder is added, stir well and let the arahar dal cook for 1 to 2 minutes after adding.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve aarhar dal hot with steamed basmati rice or cumin rice or fried papad with naan or roti and a pickle or salad or raita on the side.
Cook arahar dal in a pot or pan
- Wash the lentils and soak them for an hour. Drain and add them to a pot.
- Add 2 cups water, chopped onion, turmeric powder and finely chopped ginger.
- Add a few drops of oil as it reduces the spiciness of the lentils.
- Cover and stir to cook lentils.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer until the lentils are really well cooked. If too much water evaporates, add some more hot water and continue cooking.
Recipe notes
- For best aroma and taste, use specially polished organic yellow lentils.
- To get tur dal with a spicy taste, add more green chillies.
- Adjust the consistency of the pulse by adding more or less water.
- Choose to cook the lentils in a pan, a stovetop pressure cooker or an Instant Pot, adding water as needed.
nutrients
Arhar dal Your pulse Tuvar dal
No. per job
calories 158 Calories from fat are 81
% Daily Value*
thick 9 grams14%
5 grams of saturated fat31%
1 gram of polyunsaturated fat
2 grams of monounsaturated fat
Cholesterol 21 mg7%
Sodium 356 mg15%
potassium 138 mg4%
carbohydrates 17 grams6%
5 grams of fiber21%
3 grams of sugar3%
protein 5 grams10%
Vitamin A 345IU7%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1 mg67%
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 1 mg59%
Vitamin B3 (niacin) 1 mg5%
Vitamin B6 1 mg50%
Vitamin C 8 mg10%
Vitamin E 1 mg7%
Vitamin K 3 µg3%
calcium 33 mg3%
Vitamin B9 (folate) 9µg2%
iron 1 mg6%
magnesium 11 mg3%
Phosphorus 21 mg2%
zinc 1 mg7%
* Percent Daily Value is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This Arhar Dal from the archives, originally published in April 2014, has been updated and republished in February 2023.
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