Photograph of the finished Gujarati dal

India · Canh đậu chua ngọt Gujarat

Gujarati dal

50 min Hands-on time
EasyDifficulty
6 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Lentils Lentils 1.3 lb
  • Photograph of Palm sugar Palm sugar 3.5 oz
  • Photograph of Sour tamarind Sour tamarind 5.6 oz
  • Photograph of Mustard seeds Mustard seeds 0.7 oz
  • Photograph of Curry leaves Curry leaves 40 leaves
  • Photograph of Ginger Ginger 3.5 oz
  • Photograph of Ghee Ghee 4.9 oz
  • Photograph of Turmeric powder Turmeric powder 0.6 oz
  • Photograph of Green finger chillies Green finger chillies 12
  • Photograph of Herbs Herbs 3.5 oz
  • Photograph of Steamed rice Steamed rice 1.8 lb

Method

  1. 1 Cook lentils with turmeric for 30 minutes, then mash them until the lentil broth is smooth and thin.
  2. 2 Pour in the tamarind juice and add the palm sugar, then simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. 3 The Gujarati version balances the sweetness of palm sugar with the sourness of tamarind, unlike the northern dal which is only salty and spicy.
  4. 4 The broth should be thin enough to be drunk from a cup, not thick like curry.
  5. 5 Sauté mustard seeds in ghee until they pop, then add curry leaves, ginger, and green chilies.
  6. 6 Pour the sautéed herbs into the soup pot, sprinkle with fresh herbs, and turn off the heat.

With an appliance

  • Pressure cooker 33 min

    Replace step 1: cook lentils with turmeric under high pressure for 8 minutes, then release pressure naturally for 5 minutes; this reduces cooking time by about 17 minutes compared to the usual 30 minutes, resulting in evenly tender lentils that thicken naturally without needing constant monitoring. Step 2 continues to simmer with tamarind and sugar until the liquid is thin and the flavor is balanced.

Start cooking