5 Desi Daal Recipes for Friday

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Having daal or biryani on Friday is a very desi thing. It is quite a norm back in the homeland to have daal on Friday’s lunch.

I don’t know who started this, or maybe all the mothers have a secret understanding that Friday means daal for lunch.

In my parent’s house, after jummah prayers (Friday’s afternoon prayer has significance in Muslim culture), my father and grandfather would come home for lunch from work, and rush back quickly after lunch. I found this routine quite hassle-full, but now, I miss it.

Since we cannot have the same daal every Friday, mother, and grandmother became creative with daal recipes.

So, here I am, exchanging some great recipes for you to shuffle things on Friday.

5 Desi Daal Recipes

Quick & Delish Masoor Daal

The pink lentils, also known as red split lentils, are masoor daal. I recommend cooking it when you are running low on time and need something tummy-filling and delicious.

Things You Will Need to Make Masoor Daal

Masoor Daal – 1 cup, 200 grams
Ginger and Garlic paste – 2 tablespoons
Tomatoes – 2 small, chopped
Onion – one medium, chopped
Green Chilli – 1, chopped/sliced
Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder – ½ teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Garam Masala – ¼ teaspoon
Kasuri Meethi – ½ teaspoon
Lemon – 2 teaspoons

For Tempering

Ghee – 4 tablespoons
Garlic cloves – 4 or 6
Onion – one small, chopped in thin slices

How to Cook Masoor Daal

If you are cooking it on a stovetop, you would need three cups of water. If using an Instant Pot, one cup would do.
Wash the daal thoroughly and transfer it to a pot. Add water, and keep it on medium-high flame. As it comes to a boil, reduce the heat, and remove all the white scum settling on top.
Add more water if needed. When you feel that the daal is mushier, which would take hardly fifteen minutes, add tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, and salt. At this point, put the lid on the pot and let the contents cook until they are a combined mush.
In a separate pot, heat ghee and add onions. Let the onions fry until transcalent. Now add garlic cloves, cumin seeds, and turmeric. Fry for a few seconds and add the red chilli powder and garam masala.
The moment you add these masalas, be ready to transfer this tarka (tempering) to the daal. Mix to combine, and give it one boil. Before you turn off the heat, add Kasuri meethi by rubbing on your palms to activate, add lemon juice, and sprinkle some cilantro.
Serve masoor daal with rice and a big bowl of kachumber (finely chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chat masala).

The Traditional Moong Daal

For the sake of ease, I soak the daal and then start prepping and getting all the ingredients.

Things You Need to Cook Moong Daal

Moong Daal – Half cup
Onion – one small, chopped
Tomatoes – one medium, chopped
Ginger/ Garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon
Garam Masala – ¼ teaspoon

For Tempering

Curry Leaves – a few
Garlic Cloves – 5
Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds – ¼ teaspoon
Dried Red Chillies – 3 or 4
Kashmiri Lal Mirch – 1 teaspoon

How to Make Moong Daal

You can make moong daal in a pressure cooker, instant pot or a pot as you like.
I will share the recipe for cooking in a pot, you can alter it for an instant pot or pressure cooker.
In a pot, transfer the soaked dal and bring it to medium-high heat. When the daal has come to a boil, remove the white scum, and continue boiling.
In a separate pot, add chopped onions and fry until translucent. Time to add ginger/garlic paste, tomatoes, and turmeric powder. Stir and cook until the tomatoes are a mush.
Transfer the daal to the tomato concoction and stir to combine. Add some water, salt, and garam masala. Put the lid on the daal to simmer and combine with the masala.
Usually, you can use a wooden spoon to mash the daal on the sides of the pot until you get the consistency. Otherwise, some people use an immersive mixer to give some whirls to the daal and get a slightly inconsistent texture. Remember to keep it slightly runny than the required consistency because mong daal gets thicker consistency as it cools.
When daal is ready, in a small frying pan, heat some oil or ghee. Add garlic cloves, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds to fry for a couple of seconds.
Right about the time when cumin changes colour, add curry leaves, and dried red chilli, and transfer the tarka to the daal. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat.
Serve the daal with rice, papad, achar, and kachumber.

Restaurant- style Chana Daal

Daal Chana, split yellow gram, or split chickpeas is another lentil that is the most common daal dish cooked in the desi household.

I recommend pre-soaking the daal for one hour at least. If not possible, boil the daal in the pressure cooker or instant pot as a crucial prep step.

Things You Will Need to Cook Chana Daal

Chana Daal – ½ cup
Onion – one small, chopped
Tomato – one medium, chopped
Salt – To taste
Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder – 1 teaspoon

For Tempering

Ghee – 3 tablespoons
Garlic cloves – 4
Ginger slices – a few
Green chilli – 2, chopped
Chopped Cilantro – a handful

How to Cook Restaurant-style Chana Daal

In an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, leave the daal to cook.
In a separate pan, fry onions in zeera. Cook until it changes colour. Now add tomatoes and fry until tomatoes are mushed and combined with onions.
By now, the daal should be close to al dente. This is when you can transfer the daal into the pot with tomatoes and onion masala. Add turmeric powder, salt, and water if needed, and cover with the lid to cook for another ten minutes.
In a small frying pan, heat ghee or oil, green chillies, ginger, and garlic. Fry for a couple of seconds; you don’t want the ingredients to change colour; just release some aroma. Turn off the heat, add cilantro, and put the tarka on the daal. Cover the lid again.
This daal compliments naan, or good old chapati.

Kali Daal for Fridays

The sabut masoor daal which is brown coloured is a key ingredient of kali (black) daal. Kali Daal is also known as Khatti daal. I recommend pre-soaking the daal for half an hour, if not, give it a cook boil as prep.

Things You Will Need for Kali Daal

Sabut Masoor Daal – one cup
Onion – one small, chopped
Chilli Powder – one teaspoon
Turmeric Powder – ¼ teaspoon
Cumin Powder – ½ teaspoon
Coriander Powder – ½ teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Tamarind Paste – 1 tablespoon

For Tempering

Ghee or oil – 3 tablespoons
Red button chilli – 3
Garlic cloves – 4
Curry leaves – a few
Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon

How to Cook Kali Daal

In a pot, add boiled/soaked daal with diced onions. Add turmeric and coriander powder and cover the pot with a lid.
After a few minutes, when the daal is close to mush, take a wooden spoon and mash some daal on the sides of the pot. This would give it a thick creamy texture.
At this point, you can add the tamarind paste, salt, and red chilli powder to balance the flavours required.
In a separate saucepan, heat oil or ghee on low heat. Add cumin seeds, red button chillies, and garlic cloves. Just when garlic cloves start changing colour, add curry leaves to the pan, and transfer the tarka in the pot as curry leaves start releasing their aroma.

Pahari Daal

This one is my favourite among the rest. It has a very soupy texture and great flavour. You can eat more daal than rice, yet it will be very light on the stomach.

What You Need for Pahari Daal

Urad Daal – one cup
Onion – medium, chopped
Cooking oil – 1/3 cup
Black mustard seeds (rai dana) – 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder (hing) – ¼ teaspoon
Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
Wheat flour – 3 tablespoons
Salt – to taste
Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
Water – 4 to 5 cups

Daal Masala

Garlic Cloves – 10 to 12
Ginger – 2-inch piece
Green chillies – 2
Cumin seeds – 2 teaspoons
Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon
Black peppercorns – 8 to 9

In a chopper, add ginger, garlic cloves, black peppercorns, green chillies, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds. Chop until you achieve a coarse paste of these ingredients.

How to Cook Pahari Daal

In a dry pan, fry split black gram for roughly ten minutes on medium heat. When cool, grind the daal in a grinder and set aside.
In a large pot, fry mustard seeds in oil with onion and hing on medium heat. After a minute or two, add the daal masala and combine it with oil. Now add wheat flour and stir to combine with masala.
After two minutes of toasting, add ground lentils and combine. Next, stir the contents for a few minutes, add water, and the remaining spices.
Cover the pot to cook for thirty minutes on low flame. Check and stir the daal while it cooks.
When ready, sprinkle some freshly chopped cilantro and serve it with rice.

Takeaway

There is no need to emphasise the importance of daal’s availability for lunch on Friday. I used to feel bad for men folk who rushed to work after lunch, and we women folk would proceed to dark and quiet rooms for naps fortified by a food coma.