• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Spoons Of Flavor
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    Arhar dal Recipe | How to Make Arhar Dal

    Published: Oct 31, 2020 · Modified: Sep 17, 2022 by Geetanjali · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Arahar dal recipe with step-by-step photos:  Arhar dal, toor dal, or tuvar dal is a popular lentil-based vegetarian dish prepared in Indian homes. Learn to make a simple and quick arhar dal recipe with minimal ingredients.

    Toor dal after tadka

    What is Dal

    The word 'dal' is a generic term which means the split dried lentils or peas as well as the thick gruel like dish made with these lentils. Dal is one such food in Indian cuisine that every Indian can connect to. 

    A bowl of dal accompanied by rice is comforting to the stomach and satisfying to the soul.

    The initial cooking process of all dals is almost the same. However, the tempering/tadka and seasoning spices vary from region to region.

    More dal recipes:

    • Dal Palak
    • Ghugni Recipe

    What is Arhar Dal

    This dish is made with split pigeon peas. Also known as red gram, toor dal, tuvar dal, thuvaram paruppu, kandhi pappu in India. Arhar dal is skinned, split, and has a yellow color. It is full of protein and many nutrients. Hence adding it to the daily diet is a great way to eat healthier.

    About This Recipe

    This is an easy, simple, nutritious yet tasty everyday dal made with split pigeon peas. A basic toor dal that uses very few common ingredients and is ready within 20 minutes.

    The dal is cooked and then tempered with oil, cumin seeds, garlic, and green chili. In addition, I have added a tablespoon of ghee in the final steps. Which definitely enhances the taste but it is completely optional. 

    I have used a pressure cooker to save time. You can even cook the dal in a pan or even instant pot if you like. 

    I cook dal almost everyday and this dal is one among those. 

    Serve this dal with steamed rice with a side of any choice of sabzi, salad, papad, and a pickle to have a complete Indian meal.  

    Step by Step Preparations

    • Wash and soak toor dal for at least 20 minutes unless you are in a hurry.
    • Add soaked dal in the pressure cooker with water, add turmeric powder, salt, and 2-3 drops of oil. Pressure cook over medium flame for 5 to 6 whistles or until soft and mushy.
    Boiling arhar dal step by step
    • Then beat lightly with a spoon or whisk and set aside. 
    • Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, followed by chopped garlic, chopped green chilies. Saute until the garlic turns golden. Immediately pour the tempering over dal. Stir to mix. 
    • Add chopped coriander leaves and ghee if adding. 
    • Stir to mix and serve hot.
    Tempering the arhar dal with stepwise photos

    Notes

    • Soaking the lentils before cooking helps in fastening the cooking process and eases digestion. I would suggest soaking the dal in water for at least 20 minutes before cooking unless you are in a hurry.
    • Do add  2-3 drops of oil while pressure cooking. It prevents the dal from frothing while it cooks.

    If you try this recipe, please leave a feedback and rating. You can also tag me @spoonofflavor on Instagram.

    Toor dal after tadka
    Arhar Dal

    Arhar dal Recipe | How to make Arhar Dal

    A simple, easy arhar dal recipe that uses very few common ingredients and is ready within 20 minutes.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Lunch, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: Arhar dal recipe, How to make arhar dal
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 3 people
    Calories:
    Author: Geetanjali

    Equipment

    • Pressure cooker

    Ingredients

    For Cooking the Dal

    • ½ cup arhar dal/split pigeon peas
    • 1 ½ cup water
    • 2 medium-sized tomatoes chopped
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi
    • Salt as required
    • 2-3 drops oil (if cooking in a pressure cooker)

    For Tempering/Tadka

    • 1 tablespoon oil (I have used sunflower oil)
    • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera
    • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
    • 1-2 green or red chilies chopped

    Others

    • 1 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter (optional)
    • 2-3 tablespoon fresh coriander/cilantro finely chopped

    Instructions

    • Wash and soak toor dal for at least 20 minutes unless you are in a hurry.
    • Add soaked dal in the pressure cooker with water, add turmeric powder, salt, and 2-3 drops of oil. Pressure cook over medium flame for 5 to 6 whistles or until soft and mushy.
    • Then beat lightly with a spoon or whisk and set aside.
    • Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, followed by chopped garlic, chopped green chilies. Saute until the garlic turns golden. Immediately pour the tempering over dal. Stir to mix.
    • Add chopped coriander leaves and ghee if adding.
    • Stir to mix and serve hot.

    Notes

    • Soaking the lentils before cooking helps in fastening the cooking process and eases digestion. I would suggest soaking the dal in water for at least 20 minutes before cooking unless you are in a hurry.
    • Do add 2-3 drops of oil while pressure cooking. It prevents the dal from frothing while it cooks.

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Fork holding mouth watering garlic chili oil noodles.
      Easy Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
    • Gorgeous looking Asian zing sauce in a bowl.
      Asian Zing Sauce Recipe
    • Image showing hot honey sauce in a glass bowl.
      Homemade Hot Honey Sauce
    • Mayo Ketchup
      Mayo Ketchup Sauce
    169 shares
    • Share14
    • LinkedIn
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Azlin Bloor

      November 24, 2020 at 11:51 pm

      I am a huge fan of all sorts of dals, I know that I would just love this. Such a delicious recipe!

      Reply
      • Geetanjali

        November 25, 2020 at 9:33 am

        Thank you, Azlin! Glad to know. I am sure you will love this. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Rose

      April 18, 2021 at 8:09 pm

      Question: can you make this dal without a pressure cooker?

      Reply
      • Geetanjali

        April 19, 2021 at 3:40 pm

        Hi Rose! Yeah, you can make this without a pressure cooker as well. like any other dals, you can use an instant pot, slow cooker, or make this on the stovetop using a saucepan. Later will also update this post with other methods for you.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    user profile

    Hi, I'm Geetanjali! I am the cook, photographer, and author behind Spoons Of Flavor. I focus on simple, affordable, and easy-to-follow recipes for everyday life.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Image showing chicken mei fun noodles served on a grey plate.
      Chicken Mei Fun
    • Spinach omelette served on a white plate
      How to make Spinach Omelette | Spinach Omelet
    • Image showing honey sriracha chicken in a pan.
      Honey Sriracha Chicken Recipe
    • Subway Sweet Onion Sauce
      Subway Sweet Onion Sauce Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Spoons Of Flavor