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Nepalese

Dal bhat tarkari

Vegetarian

दाल भात तरकारी · Dal bhat tarkari

Nepal's twice-daily meal: steamed rice (bhat) with a thin, cumin-and-garlic-tempered lentil soup (dal) and a dry spiced potato and cauliflower curry (tarkari).

Dal bhat tarkari is a Nepalese main course, ready in about 55 minutes and made with red lentils and long-grain white rice. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Nepali dal bhat thali with rice, lentil soup, curry and flatbread
Photo: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
631

Ingredients

4 servings

For the dal

For the bhat

For the tarkari

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the lentils in 900 ml water with the turmeric (opens in a new tab) and salt until completely soft, about 25 minutes. Whisk so the dal is smooth and soupy.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, bring the rice and 550 ml water to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, then rest covered.

    • 18 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Refrigerate leftover rice within 1 hour.

  3. Step 3

    For the tarkari, heat the oil and fry the fenugreek (opens in a new tab) seeds until dark, then add the cumin (opens in a new tab) and onion (opens in a new tab) and fry until soft. Add the ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab) and ground spices and cook to a paste.

  4. Step 4

    Add the potato (opens in a new tab), cauliflower (opens in a new tab) and salt with a splash of water, cover and cook until tender and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

  5. Step 5

    Temper the dal: heat the ghee (opens in a new tab), sizzle the cumin (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab) until the garlic is golden, and pour into the dal. Serve rice, dal and tarkari together with coriander.

    • 3 min
    • medium heat

About this dish

Origin
Nepal · Well documentedAlso popular in IndiaMore food from Nepal
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Curries · Rice dishes
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled, Sautéed
Taste
savoury, earthy, garlicky, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat
Without the optional extras: No gluten ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly · Meal-prep friendly
Cook more with
Red lentils · Long-grain white rice · Turmeric · Ghee · Cumin · Garlic
Techniques
Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering · Tadka (tempering)

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

631 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 695 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 67%
  • Fat 22%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy631 kcal91 kcal
Protein18.4 g2.6 g
Carbohydrate106.3 g15.3 g
Net carbohydrate96.9 g13.9 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre9.4 g1.4 g
Fat15.5 g2.2 g
Saturated fat5.1 g0.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol17 mg2 mg
Sodium1211 mg174 mg
Salt equivalent3 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1040 mg
Calcium
128 mg
Iron
8.1 mg
Magnesium
90 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
75 µg
Vitamin C
59 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
429 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: asafoetida, coriander leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Serve with a spoon of achar and some sautéed greens (saag) for the full thali.

Common mistakes

  • Burning the fenugreek seeds — take them only to dark brown, or the tarkari turns bitter.

Serve with

  • Pour the dal over the rice and eat with the tarkari and golbheda ko achar.

Storage

  • Dal and tarkari keep 3 days refrigerated; rice 1 day.

Reheating

  • Thin the dal with hot water; reheat rice until piping hot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Spices bloomed in hot fat

For the tarkari

Used in steps 1, 3, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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