Lentil or dal recipes are a nutrient powerhouse. Belonging to the legume family, humans have been harvesting and consuming lentils for thousands of years. It is an excellent plant-based source of nutrition, which is known to be a good source of protein, essential vitamins minerals and dietary fibres.  In this post, I will share a collection of recipes for dal, which would help you utilize your dry pantry to turn it into delicious and healthy meals for you and your family.

Urad dal recipes

Urad Dal or White Lentils or Kolai Dal is very popular in Bengali cuisine. Biulir Dal is a summer comfort food, which often paired with parboiled rice or bhaat and Aloo Posto or potatoes stir-fried with poppy seeds. It is also known to aid digestion as it is rich in dietary fibre. Apart from this, it improved bone health, boosts energy levels, and is good for heart, skin and hair.

How to make Bengali Urad Dal | বিউলির ডালের রেসিপি

Hot to make দই বড়া – Bangali der Doi Bora or Delhi ka Dahi Vada

Black Urad Dal Recipes

Black Urad Dal is basically unpolished white lentils. As a result, it is highly nutritious and rich in dietary fibres. It helps in regularising the bowel movement and actually helps with weight management. It is a good source of heart-friendly fats, as a result, it improves cardiovascular health by reducing cholesterol.

This recipe for dal makhani is one of the most popular Indian lentil recipes. It is plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free and paleo-friendly.

If you are looking for vegan dal makhani recipes, you can simply omit the Ghee or Clarified Butter in the recipe with Mustard Oil or Olive Oil and omit the fresh cream. How to make Punjabi Dal Makhani at home

Masoor Dal Recipes

Masoor Dal is probably the most nutritious dal in an Indian kitchen. This dal is absolutely light on our stomachs. So, if someone is recovering from a serious ailment, they should definitely include this in their daily diet.

Red lentils are extremely beneficial for lactating mothers. it provides them with nutrition to produce enriched breast milk for their infants. Once the baby is 6 months old, its time to introduce lentils and grains to them. Most doctors prescribe Lentil Soup or Daal ka Pani (दाल का पानी ). Boil 1 tsp of red lentil or masoor dal in 100 ml of water till the lentil is cooked completely and it looks like a soup. It is a wonderful and nutritious supplement to infants, a better substitute to plain water.

This Bengali musur dal recipe is the simplest of all, all you need is merely 10 mins of your time to get this sorted. 

This mix-vegetable & masoor dal soup recipe is a perfect way to cosy up with a big bowl of a little bit of spice and everything nice. This is my version of pressure cooker mix veg soup that uses bits and pieces of leftover veggies to give you one wholesome dish.

Summer Special Sour Lentil Soup –

Among the various lentil recipes, this green mango recipe is a staple in every Bengali household during the summer months in India. Also known as Tok Dal or Kancha Aam Dal, here the red lentils are cooked with unripened Green Mangoes.

Split Pea or Arhar Dal Recipes

As India is a tropical country which has an extreme climate where summers can be as harsh as 50c on mercury, a meat-based protein-rich diet is simply impractical and unhealthy. So, to counter with that our diet has evolved in a special way which includes other protein-rich substitutes like lentils, dairy products, etc. which are equally nutritious yet easy to digest. Here among various Bengali Dal Recipes, we are making Arhar Dal or Toor Dal or Split Pigeon Pea Lentils with Bengali spice mix known as Panchphoron. The best part about this recipe is that it is completely Vegan and Gluten-Free

This Tadka Arhar Dal recipe is slightly different from what I shared earlier. Here, I have used several elements for flavouring the dal thus giving us a delightfully spicy and aromatic arhar dal. Like most other lentil-based veg recipes, this is again Gluten-Free and Vegan and we have not used any product derived from animals and even dairy. 

Most of the time, the cooking medium is Mustard Oil which is brimming with multiple health benefits. For the same reason, every kitchen in the eastern part of India essentially keeps a bottle of this oil ready at the beginning of every cooking session. It is rich in MUFA, i.e. Monounsaturated Fatty Acids which is considered good for us

Green Moong Dal Recipes

This Sabut Moong Dal (Unpolished Mung Beans) or green moong dal recipe is simple and absolutely easy to make. It does not need elaborate preparation and there is absolutely no need to soak them for longer hours before cooking. Green Moong Dal benefits are huge. It is an amazing source for protein. For those who are looking for plat based protein sources, they can totally go for this one.

Some more easy & simple Indian dal recipes – Indian Dry Lentil recipes

Bengali Dried Yellow Peas Curry Recipe or Ghugni

This recipe for ghugni is the easiest way of making the popular Bengali snack, often served with luchis (deep fried Indian breads) or even muri (puffed rice) as an evening snack. Also known as motorshutir ghugni, this ghugni recipe calls for a handful of ingredients and gives you a wholesome and healthy plant-based meal. The preparation needs soaking the dried peas overnight and the next day you are ready to put this dish together within 30 mins, tops!

Mixed Lentils Recipe or Panchmel Dal

This mixed Indian dal recipe includes red lentils (masoor), yellow lentils (arhar & chana), white lentils (urad) and black lentils (chilka urad) and is an excellent plant-based protein-packed dish. I won’t say that it is 100% authentic Rajasthani Panchmel Dal recipe, straight from any Marwar kitchen. BUT, hear me out, this one is damn delicious!

Kidney Bean or Rajma Masala Curry

In this Rajma curry recipe as well, tomato makes the gravy in which the kidney beans are cooked till soft and slightly mushy.  Rest of the ingredients, including the spices, play the perfect symphony to give you one of the most popular dishes of North India!

Chickpeas Curry or Chana Masala Recipe

We all love Chole Bhaturey or Chickpea Curry from the nearby street food joint. In North India, it is almost worshipped as the ‘King of all Breakfasts’! How about making this national comfort food of Chana Masala recipe at home? It is actually easier than imagined! Here I have shared way of cooking Chana Masala in 2 ways! 

Bengal Gram or Bengali Chana Dal Recipe

This cholar dal recipe is the ‘queen’ of Bengali vegetarian recipes, which can be found to be part of every menu. This daal recipe makes multiple appearances on a Bengali foodie’s plate. On a road-side stall, it is cooked with small pieces of potatoes and coconut and is often served with Hinger Kochuri. Often made as a traditional Bengali breakfast dish, it comes with a helping of Aloo’r Dum and phulko (fluffy) luchi. If you talk about Bengali niramish ranna (Bengali Vegetarian Recipes), this recipe steals every heart with every bit of it.

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