Toor Dal (Split Yellow Pigeon Peas)

By Tejal Rao

Updated March 18, 2020

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
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Total Time
1¼ hours, plus soaking
Rating
4(1,238)
Comments
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Dal can be made with all kinds of lentils and cooking methods. These vary not just from region to region, but also from day to day, mood to mood. Some cooks like dal soupy, others chunky. There are dals for special occasions, seasoned with charcoal smoke and butter or padded out luxuriously with cream, as well as lighter, leaner dals that can restore you when you’re not feeling well.The flavor of this everyday, Gujarati-style dal comes from the pure nuttiness of split pigeon peas, boiled until tender and bolstered with spices bloomed in hot ghee. This fat-tempering technique, called vaghar in Gujarati, has many names and many uses across the country. In this case, the tempering is a great introduction to the resourcefulness and finesse of Indian home cooks: Just a few tablespoons of carefully seasoned fat, tipped in at the very last moment, transform an entire pot. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings (about 3 cups)

FOR THE DAL

  • 1 cup toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas)

  • 2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped

  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • ¼ cup raw whole peanuts

FOR THE TEMPERING

  • ¼ cup/55 grams ghee

  • 1 sprig fresh curry leaves

  • 3 small pieces Indian cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick

  • 3 red dried chiles, such as chile de árbol

  • 3 cloves

  • ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds

  • Pinch of asafoetida

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

10 grams carbs; 23 milligrams cholesterol; 161 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 13 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 162 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the dal: Soak the pigeon peas in a large bowl of warm water for about 1 hour. (They will have swelled a little.) Thoroughly rinse the soaked pigeon peas with fresh water, then tip the drained pigeon peas into a pot.

  2. Step 2

    Add tomatoes, turmeric, salt and 5 cups water, and bring to a boil over high. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Use an immersion blender to purée some of the dal, leaving some intact and getting some very smooth, or whisk vigorously to break up some of the soft dal. Stir in the peanuts and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the dal is very tender, about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt. If the dal has become too thick for your liking, stir in a splash of water.

  4. Step 4

    Prepare the tempering: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the ghee. When hot, carefully add all of the tempering ingredients (the mustard seeds will sputter!) and swirl the pan until you can smell all the toasted spices, about 30 seconds. Pour everything over the hot dal.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,238 user ratings
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Comments

Asha S.

My thoughts from decades of toor dal making: curry leaf has a unique flavor, great if you can get it, but not necessary. Instead, add a generous handful of chopped fresh cilantro to the dal at the end. Ghee is nice but not necessary. I use canola oil or a mix of canola and ghee. Asafoetida is great, but can substitute minced garlic or chopped onion. A little lemon at the end is nice. I've never used peanuts but looking forward to trying. Toor dal is delicious and endlessly variable.

Christine

I have never seen curry leaves in a grocery store and I don't have access to an Indian market. Is there any substitute?

Saug

I don't really think there's any substitute for curry leaf (they do freeze reasonably well if you can find a stash at an Indian/Pakistani store), but also, tempering choices are super regional and vary from household to household. In the version of toor/arhar dal I am most familiar with, you'd temper with garlic and red chili (& maybe cumin? Ma, you there?)in ghee. Or you could use the mustard seed tempering here, and just skip the curry leaf. Or you could use cumin seed. Or ... you get the idea

Chris

This was a solid meh from the family. The peanuts are odd, and nobody liked the after taste - could have been the curry leaves. There are much better recipes for toor dal than this. It just barely served three of us, but we threw out the bit of remains as it was just not great.

Jim Hulen

Beware! this does not make 4 to six servings. At best it is two to three. Needs more spicing as well. Suggest doubling everything in the tempering! Suggest serving over jasmine rice seasoned with chile peppers and lime zest and juice.

SBa from CT

10 mins in a pressure cooker will do the trick. No need to boil for 25-30 min.

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