Nimboo Wali Arhar Dal | Lemony Toor Dal

Toor Dal easily qualifies to be the creamiest of dals in Indian cooking. Its also very flavourful and highly versatile. Its delicious on its own but also make for a great base for amti, sambar, khichri, and bisi bele bhaat! I am particularly fond of cooking this dal with ginger and garlic, tempering it with hing, and then adding a big squeeze of lemon into it. Delicious and heavenly!!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup toor dal (split pigeon pea)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2" piece ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 tsp zeera (cumin seeds)
1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida)
Salt to taste
1 small lemon

Method:

1. Wash the dal well until the water runs clear.
2. Place in a pressure cooker with the ginger, garlic, and turmeric.
3. Pour in 11/2 cups water, and pressure cook for 5 whistles. (See note)
4. Once done turn off the heat and let the pressure drop on its own.
5. Open the cooker, add salt to taste and water as needed if the dal is too thick.
6. Heat the ghee in a small saucepan, add the hing, then the cumin seeds. 
7. Once fragrant, turn off the heat. Pour this tempering into the dal and mix well.
8. Warm dal, turn off the heat. Squeeze the lemon into the dal just before serving.

Good to Know

• The detail for the pressure cooker in Step 3 is as per my cooker. Kindly alter as needed.
• I generally do not cook toor dal in a saucepan on the stove as the process is time consuming and needs constant attention.
• Do not cook or heat the dal after adding the lemon juice.

Vegan Substitute: Replace the ghee in this recipe with a teaspoon of canola or coconut oil.

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