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Gujarati · Indian

Gujarati dal

Vegetarian

ગુજરાતી દાળ

A thin, silky toor dal balanced sweet, sour and gently hot with jaggery, lemon and green chilli, tempered with mustard seeds, cloves and curry leaves.

Gujarati dal is a Gujarati curry from India, ready in about 50 minutes and made with toor dal (split pigeon peas), jaggery / palm sugar and lemon juice. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
40 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
212

Plus 30 minutes soaking the dal.

Ingredients

4 servings

For the tadka

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the dal with 400 ml of the water and the turmeric (opens in a new tab) until very soft — 3–4 whistles in a pressure cooker (opens in a new tab) or about 40 minutes in a pot.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the dal until completely smooth, then add the remaining water to make a thin, pourable dal.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the tomato (opens in a new tab), ginger, green chillies, jaggery, peanuts (opens in a new tab) and salt and simmer until the peanuts are soft and the flavours blend.

    A sauce simmering in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Heat the ghee (opens in a new tab), add the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) and when they pop add the cumin (opens in a new tab), fenugreek (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab), dried chillies, curry leaves (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab). Pour into the dal.

    • 1 min
    • medium heat

  5. Step 5

    Take the pan off the burner and stir in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab), taste for the sweet-sour balance and garnish with coriander.

    • 1 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Gujarat, India · Well documentedMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Side dishes
Cooking method
Boiled, Pressure-cooked, Simmered
Taste
sweet & sour, aromatic / warmly spiced, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · High-fibre
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-fibre · Low-fat · Carb-conscious
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Toor dal (split pigeon peas) · Jaggery / palm sugar · Lemon juice · Turmeric · Tomato · Fresh ginger
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Pressure cooking

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
  • Contains, can be adapted: Peanutsfrom peanuts
  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

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

212 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 319 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 16%
  • Carbohydrate 59%
  • Fat 25%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy212 kcal67 kcal
Protein9 g2.8 g
Carbohydrate32.3 g10.1 g
Net carbohydrate25.5 g8 g
Sugars——
Added sugars4.8 g1.5 g
Fibre6.8 g2.1 g
Fat6.1 g1.9 g
Saturated fat3.3 g1 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol13 mg4 mg
Sodium744 mg234 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
673 mg
Calcium
91 mg
Iron
2.8 mg
Magnesium
86 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
68 µg
Vitamin C
14 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
180 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: peanuts, coriander leaves.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves, asafoetida.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • “—” 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

  • Adjust jaggery and lemon at the end — the dal should taste clearly sweet and sour, not just salty.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the dal lumpy — whisk it completely smooth before thinning; Gujarati dal should be silky.

Serve with

  • Part of a Gujarati thali with rice, rotli and shaak; also delicious just with rice.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Thin with hot water and bring back to a simmer.

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

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.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 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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