Dals and Soups

Dals and soups (i.e., lentil soups) have been a part of Indian food from times immemorial. In India, the simple but wholesome dal-chawal (lentil soup-rice), and dal-roti (lentil soup and flat bread) are enjoyed by all, whether vegetarian or not. Every Indian household has its own favorite recipe for dal.

Health Benefits of Dals and Lentils

Dals or lentils (pulses/dried split peas/legumes), when consumed daily, provide most of the protein that vegetarians need, along with iron. Lentils are also high in fiber and low in fat.

There are many types of dals, the most commonly used being - toor (red gram) moong (mung bean), chana (chickpea, bengal gram), urad (split and black gram), and masoor (lentil). These lentils are used in both forms - whole, split, and hulled (peeled). Indians generally use the pressure cooker for cooking lentils as they get done faster, and don't require constant stirring and attention. The following lentils are commonly used in Indian cooking, and are available in all Indian grocery stores.

Toor Dal (red gram or red lentil, hulled and split)
This dal is the mainstay of South Indian cooking. This lentil is used for the most common dishes such as sambar and kootu. These lentils are quite neutral in taste and go well with most vegetables.

Moong Dal (mung beans or lentils that are hulled and split)
These are small, yellow lentils that are the easiest to cook and easiest to digest.
If using the pressure cooker, they take about 6-7 minutes, while cooking separately might take about 20 minutes.

Chana Dal (yellow split peas, hulled, chickpea lentils)
This dal is very nutritious and in North India it is used for soups and curries, while in the South it's mainly used for snacks like vadas (lentil fritters), and other snacks such as sundal (a dry, cooked salad). This dal (split yellow lentils), is available in the US in regular grocery stores as well.

Urad Dal (black gram or lentils, hulled and split)
This dal is common in South Indian cooking. Many South Indian dishes are seasoned or tempered with urad dal along with mustard and cumin seeds. This dal is also used in breakfast and snacks like idli and vada, and crepes like dosa.

In South Indian cooking, the dals used for seasoning (tempering) are urad dal, split and hulled (i.e., without peel), and chana dal split and hulled.

All these lentils are also available whole, with and without peel, split and with peel, and are used in various recipes. These are usually soaked and sprouted and used in salads, or soaked and ground into batter for crepes like dosas and pesarattu, or soaked and boiled, and used in thick soups like dal makhani.

Dals are very versatile and have a mild taste that goes well with a variety of vegetables. The variety of dishes you can make with dals is limited only by your imagination. Dals can be used for appetizers and snacks, main courses, as well as desserts.

Cooking Tips

Dals take time to cook, so use pressure cookers to cut down time. Split and dehusked dals take less time to cook, especially moong dal, which needs only 6-7 minutes in the pressure cooker.
Soak dals to cut down the cooking time. Soaking is particularly useful for whole dals and dals with peel.
Dals such as chana can cause bloating and stomach discomfort. Use spices such as asafoetida (hing), ginger, turmeric, onions, and garlic to imrove the digestability of dals and beans.
If you're not used to eating dals, start with small servings and increase the servings gradually as your system gets better at digesting them.