Dal fry - restaurant style dal fry

Ingredients (american measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 1 cup arhar dal/pigeon pea lentils
• 2.5 or 3 cups of water for pressure cooking the dal
• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
• 1 or 2 green chilies, slit or chopped
• 2-3 dry red chilies, kept whole
• 10-12 curry leaves
• ½ inch ginger + 3-4 garlic, crushed or made into a paste in a mortar & pestle
• ½ or ¾ tsp black mustard seeds (rai)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• ¼ tsp asafoetida powder (if using a strong asafoetida, then just one pinch is enough)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves
• 2-3 tbsp oil or ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
• 1 or 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish
• 1 cup water or as required
• salt as required

Instructions

1. pressure cook 1 cup of the arhar dal with a pinch of turmeric in 2.5 or 3 cups
2. water.
3. mash the dal lightly with a wire whisk or with a spoon and keep aside.
4. in another pan heat oil or ghee or unsalted butter. add the mustard and let them splutter.
5. when you hear the spluttering sound of the mustard seeds, add the cumin and fry them.
6. add the onions and fry till they become transparent or light brown.
7. now add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for some seconds till their raw aroma disappears.
8. add the green chilies, red chilies, curry leaves and stir.
9. add all the spice powders - turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida powder. and fry for some seconds.
10. add the tomatoes and cook till they soften, for about 2-3 mins.
11. now add the mashed dal. stir well. add water + salt.
12. stir and simmer the dal for 3-4 minutes more or till you get a smooth and slightly thick consistency.
13. dal fry is not thin and is usually has a medium to thick consistency.
14. you can adjust the amount of water you want.
15. keep the dal medium consistency if you prefer. making it thin will spoil the taste.
16. lastly crush the kasuri methi on the palms of your hands and add them to the dal. simmer for a minute. switch off the fire. add lemon juice if you want, at this stage and stir well.
17. now you can garnish the dal fry with coriander leaves while serving or just add them to the dal and mix well.
18. while serving top the dal fry with some ghee or butter if required.
19. serve dal fry hot with steamed basmati rice, biryani rice, jeera rice or saffron pulao. dal fry also goes well with rotis or naan.