Chatka dal is a spicy flavored dal from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is made from yellow split pigeon peas simmered with tomatoes, then seasoned with a spicy chili tempering. Gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.
I grew up in the state of Maharashtra and food from this particular cuisine has a special place in my heart! Common pulses, fritters like my jackfruit brown chickpea fritters, saoji, kohlapuri, and junka are already on the blog! You can find misal pav and aunty dal in my cookbook.
This chatka dal is another dish I love – it’s a simple dal with few ingredients but trust me, it’s not simple in taste. It’s fiery with added chili powder tempering. As always, you can adjust the spice level to your liking.
To serve, I serve with flat bread or rice. This dish goes incredibly well with rice, but you can also serve it with cauliflower rice.
Dal is soul food available in different variations from different states and regions of India.
A variety of pulses and pulses are used in Indian cuisine. You can see a list with pictures here.
This Chatka Dal is quick and delicious. Traditionally it uses 1-2 tablespoons of Indian chili powder, but that’s going to be a lot of heat. So use less. You can use either your lentils or split peas for this recipe. Cook them till tender and then add tempering/spicy.
More dal recipes:
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Chatka Dal is a spicy Maharashtrian tor dal
Chatka dal is a spicy flavored dal from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is made from yellow split pigeon peas simmered with tomatoes, then seasoned with a spicy chili tempering. Gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.
Serving: 4
Calories: 127kcal
Materials
- 3/4 the cup (126 g) Tor dal (divided pigeon dal) You can use channa dal (split brown gram) or mung dal (split mung dal).
- 1 tomato cut short
- 1/4 the cup Chopped coriander leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon yellow
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 the cup (950 Milli) the water
For tempering:
- 2 teaspoon the oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon Asafoetida (asafoetida)
- 12 curry leaves Fresh or frozen or dried
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder Or use paprika
- 1 teaspoon Use cayenne or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Lemon juice and cilantro for garnish
instructions
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Cook split peas or lentils: Wash lentils/dal and soak in hot water for 10 minutes then drain and add to a sauce pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Cover partially and cook on medium heat. This will take anywhere from 35 to 55 minutes depending on the pulse.
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If using chickpeas, use a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 18-20 minutes. This can take up to 2 hours in a saucepan if the dal is very old.
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To pressure cook the dal, use only 2 cups of water and add the rest of the ingredients along with the washed and drained dal to an instant pot or pressure cooker and pressure cook for 10 minutes for pigeon peas/tur dar, 6 minutes for mung dal and chick dal. 18 minutes for Release the pressure normally for 10 minutes then release quickly, then open the lid.
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Do the tampering. Add oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, you can test the oil with 1 or 2 mustard seeds and see if they start changing color immediately. If they don’t, let the oil heat for another minute or 2. If they come out immediately, heat the oil a little more, reduce the heat a bit and continue.
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Add mustard seeds to the hot oil and cook till the mustard seeds pop or change color and lighten considerably. Then add cumin seeds and mix well for few seconds. Then reduce the heat to medium and add the curry leaves, asafoetida and stir for a few more seconds. Then carefully add the garlic and mix really well.
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If you are using an electric stove, take the pan off the stove because electric stoves take longer to reduce heat. Add 1 more teaspoon of oil if the pan is too hot.
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As soon as the garlic starts to turn golden, mix well and then add Kashmiri chili powder, red chillies. Take the pan off the heat.
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Discard this tadka/tempering pulse. I usually put the dal in a serving bowl before adding the tadka so that the tempering swirls around and doesn’t mix completely.
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If your tempering doesn’t have enough oil, you can add a few drops of water to get all the tempering and pour this hot tempering over the cooked dal. It’s rolling.
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Garnish with lemon juice and cilantro and serve immediately with flatbread or rice. This chatka dal goes incredibly well with rice.
Comment
- This is a spicy dal, you can reduce the red chilli and Kashmiri chilli powder to reduce the heat.
- Serve with a side like poriyal, jackfruit bhaji, crispy potato or some brinjal and potato.
- These pulses are gluten free, soy free and nut free.
- No garlic: Omit the garlic and add another pinch of asafoetida and 1/2 teaspoon of dry fenugreek leaves
nutrition
nutrients
Chatka Dal is a spicy Maharashtrian tor dal
No. per job
calories 127
Calories from fat are 27
% Daily Value*
thick 3g5%
0.2 grams of saturated fat1%
Sodium 337 mg15%
potassium 117 mg3%
carbohydrates 20 grams7%
5 grams of fiber21%
Sugar 2 grams2%
protein 7 grams14%
Vitamin A 589IU12%
Vitamin C 66 mg80%
calcium 52 mg5%
iron 1 mg6%
* Percent Daily Value is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Ingredients:
- This dal is made with pigeon peas. You can also use chickpeas
- 1 tomato, diced
- For tadka/tempering we heat oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.
- Garlic, finely chopped
- Ground spices: turmeric and chili powder, red chili
- Chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice
Suggestion:
- This is a spicy dal, you can reduce the red chilli and Kashmiri chilli powder to reduce the heat.
- It is gluten free, soy free and nut free.
How to make Chatka Dal:
Cook split peas or lentils: Wash lentils/dal and soak in hot water for 10 minutes then drain and add to a sauce pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix, partially cover and cook over medium heat.
This will take anywhere from 35 to 55 minutes depending on the pulse.
Cook the dal to pressure, use only 2 cups of water and add the rest of the ingredients along with washed and drained dal in an instant pot or pressure cooker and pressure cook for 10 minutes for split pigeon peas/tur dar, 6 minutes for moong dal and 18 minutes. For chickpeas. Release the pressure normally then open the lid.
Do the tampering. Add oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, you can test the oil with 1 or 2 mustard seeds and see if they start changing color immediately.
Then add the mustard seeds to the hot oil and cook until the mustard seeds pop or change color and lighten considerably. Then add cumin seeds and mix well for few seconds.
Then reduce the heat to medium and add the curry leaves, asafoetida and stir for a few more seconds. Then carefully add the garlic and mix really well.
If you are using an electric stove, take the pan off the stove as an electric stove takes longer to reduce the heat and the garlic tends to burn. Also, add 1 more teaspoon of oil if the pan gets too hot. As soon as the garlic starts to turn golden, mix well and then add Kashmiri chili powder, and red chillies. Take the pan off the heat.
Discard this tadka/tempering pulse. I usually put the dal in a serving bowl before adding the tadka so that the tempering doesn’t mix completely.
If you don’t have enough oil in your tadka, you can add a few drops of water to get all the tempering and pour this hot tempering over the cooked dal.
How to serve chatka team
Garnish with lemon juice and cilantro and serve hot with roti, flatbread or rice. It goes well with rice.
Chatka dal is a spicy dal. To reduce the heat of this dish, you can reduce the red chillies and Kashmiri chilli powder.
The traditional recipe calls for adding 1 tablespoon of chili powder, but that’s going to be a lot of heat. So use less. On the side you can serve some poriyal, jackfruit bhaji, junka, crispy potatoes or some brinjal and potatoes. It is gluten free, soy free and nut free.
