Odia Dal
Veg
Vegan
Simple toor or moong dal tempered with panch phoron — the five-spice blend of mustard seeds, fenugreek, nigella, cumin, and fennel popped in mustard oil with dried red chilli and bay leaf. Thinner and more subtly flavoured than the North Karnataka or Rajasthani dal, this is the everyday lentil soup of the Odia thali, poured over rice in generous quantities as the first course of the meal.
Cuisines
Odia
Best for
Lunch
Dinner
Recipe
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 45 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 1 cup | toor dal (pigeon pea lentils) |
| 3 cups | water |
| 1 medium | onion, finely chopped |
| 1 medium | tomato, chopped |
| 1 tsp | turmeric powder |
| 1 tsp | mustard seeds |
| 1 tsp | cumin seeds |
| 2 tbsp | oil |
| 2 cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 inch | ginger, grated |
| 2 | green chilies, slit |
| — | salt to taste |
| 1 handful | fresh coriander leaves, chopped |
Instructions
- 1 Rinse the toor dal thoroughly under running water.
- 2 In a pressure cooker, combine the rinsed dal with 3 cups of water and turmeric powder.
- 3 Pressure cook the dal for 3-4 whistles or until soft and mushy.
- 4 In a pan, heat oil over medium heat and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
- 5 Once the seeds splutter, add chopped onions and sauté until golden brown.
- 6 Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and slit green chilies, and sauté for another minute.
- 7 Add chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn soft and mushy.
- 8 Add the cooked dal to the pan and mix well.
- 9 Adjust the consistency by adding water if needed and bring it to a boil.
- 10 Season with salt to taste and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- 11 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves before serving.
Tips
For a richer flavor, you can add a teaspoon of ghee at the end before serving.