Punjabi Dal Fry Recipe — a comforting North Indian lentil soup flavored with whole spices and garam masala. This easy dal fry can be made with red lentils or a mix of pulses such as yellow lentils, split peas, toor dal, or chana dal. It’s vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and perfect served with rice or as a hearty soup.
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After a busy summer with family visiting, I managed to capture this creamy dal that my mother prepares at home. The dal fry features a simple tempering of onions, garlic, green chilies and whole spices such as cloves and bay leaves, finished with a touch of vegan butter. For a richer, restaurant-style finish you can add more butter or a splash of cashew cream, but the recipe is balanced and delicious as written. You can also fold in spinach or stir in small chopped vegetables with the tempering for added nutrition and texture.
More dal recipes from the blog
- Sabut Masoor – Brown Lentil Soup
- Restaurant Style Dal Fry
- Easy Chana Dal Recipe — Split Chickpea Soup
- Kashmiri Dal — Split Pea & Yellow Lentil Soup
- Dal Tadka Mix in a Jar — Pink Lentil Soup in a Jar
- Oil-free Lentil Soup — Spicy Garlic Dal
- Daal Collection
At home, my mom often serves this dal with spiced bitter gourd (karela) and steamed rice. To prepare the bitter gourd: slice, remove tough seeds, soak in well-salted water for at least 15 minutes, rinse and drain, then pan-fry over medium-low heat until the slices start to dry. Season with salt, cayenne, jaggery or sugar and dry mango powder (amchur), and cook until the slices reach your preferred texture and caramelization.
Video
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Punjabi Dal Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils, or a combination of pulses (e.g., half red lentils + half petite yellow lentils, or 1 cup split pigeon peas)
- 3 to 3.5 cups water
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Tempering:
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves
- a good pinch of asafetida (hing), optional
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 green chilies, chopped or sliced
- 1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne or red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp dry mango powder (amchur) or lime juice to taste
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the lentils in a saucepan or pressure cooker/Instant Pot until tender. In a saucepan, red lentils take about 20–25 minutes; split peas or chana dal take 30–40 minutes. While the lentils simmer, fold in the minced ginger, turmeric and salt.
- Pressure cooker/Instant Pot: cook on manual for 1–2 minutes and allow a natural pressure release.
- Make the tempering: heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add cumin and mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add bay leaves and cloves and cook until fragrant.
- Add asafetida if using, then stir in the onion, garlic and green chilies. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- Pour the tempering into the simmering lentils. Stir in garam masala, amchur and cayenne, then add vegan butter.
- Taste and adjust salt, heat and acidity (cayenne or lemon/lime juice). If desired, fold in chopped tomatoes or baby spinach at this stage. Finish with chopped cilantro and serve hot as a soup or with rice and roasted vegetables.
Video
Notes
Variation: add a cinnamon stick and 2 dried red chilies with the cloves for extra warmth. Fold in 1–2 chopped tomatoes when adding the tempering if you prefer a slightly tangy tomato-forward dal.
Nutritional information shown is an approximation based on one serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 428 kcal, Carbohydrates: 64 g, Protein: 24 g, Fat: 8 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 358 mg, Potassium: 944 mg, Fiber: 29 g, Sugar: 5 g, Vitamin A: 760 IU, Vitamin C: 14.4 mg, Calcium: 68 mg, Iron: 7.5 mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Note: I collaborated with The Purple Carrot for a menu feature this season. Purple Carrot is a plant-based meal kit delivery service that offers seasonal guest recipes and fully supplied kits. If you try the Mango Curry Tofu from their kit, let me know how it turns out.