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Indian

Hyderabadi dalcha

Non-vegetarian

Mutton and chana dal cooked together into a tangy, tamarind-soured lentil curry with mint and a garlic-chilli tempering — eaten with bagara rice in Hyderabad.

Hyderabadi dalcha is an Indian curry, ready in about 1 hour 30 minutes and made with goat meat, chana dal (split bengal gram) and tamarind paste. It serves 5 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Hyderabadi dalcha: chana dal stew with pumpkin pieces and dried red chillies in a bowl
Photo: Miansari66 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0-1.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 10 min
Total
1 h 30 min
Serves
5
Level
Intermediate
Calories
397

Plus 1 hour soaking the chana dal.

Ingredients

5 servings

For the tadka

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a pressure cooker (opens in a new tab) or heavy pot and fry the onions (opens in a new tab) until golden. Add the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger and green chillies.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the meat, turmeric (opens in a new tab), chilli, coriander, tomato (opens in a new tab) and salt and fry until the meat is browned and the oil separates.

    • 10 min
    • medium-high heat

    Food safety: Wash hands and boards after handling raw meat.

  3. Step 3

    Add the drained chana dal (opens in a new tab) and the water. Pressure-cook for about 25 minutes (or simmer covered for 1 hour) until the meat is tender and the dal soft.

    • 35 min
    • medium heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Lightly mash some of the dal, then stir in the tamarind, garam masala (opens in a new tab), mint (opens in a new tab) and coriander and simmer 10 minutes.

    • 10 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Meat should be tender and piping hot throughout.

    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Heat the ghee (opens in a new tab), add the cumin (opens in a new tab), chillies, sliced garlic (opens in a new tab) and curry leaves (opens in a new tab), fry until the garlic is golden and pour over the dalcha.

About this dish

Origin
Hyderabad, Telangana, Telangana, India · Well documentedMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Pressure-cooked, Simmered
Taste
tangy, savoury, spicy (chilli heat), herby
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Goat meat · Chana dal (split bengal gram) · Tamarind paste · Onion · Garlic · Fresh ginger
Techniques
Simmering · Pressure cooking · Bhunao

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee

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

397 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 441 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 29%
  • Carbohydrate 34%
  • Fat 38%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy397 kcal90 kcal
Protein28.8 g6.5 g
Carbohydrate34 g7.7 g
Net carbohydrate27.3 g6.2 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.7 g1.5 g
Fat17 g3.9 g
Saturated fat4.1 g0.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol67 mg15 mg
Sodium919 mg208 mg
Salt equivalent2.3 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
910 mg
Calcium
105 mg
Iron
6 mg
Magnesium
—
Vitamin A (RAE)
82 µg
Vitamin C
20 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
1.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
193 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.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • Chana dal (split bengal gram): Whole raw chickpeas / bengal gram (FDC 173756) used as a stand-in for split, skinned desi chickpeas; the composition is very close.
  • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
  • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
  • “—” 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

  • Bottle gourd (lauki) chunks are often added with the tamarind in Hyderabadi homes.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the tamarind before the dal is soft — acid stops lentils softening.

Serve with

  • Serve with bagara khana (spiced rice) or plain rice and a squeeze of lemon.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated; freezes for 2 months.

Reheating

  • Thin with water and reheat until piping hot.

Variations

  • Vegetable dalcha: Made with bottle gourd, aubergine or raw mango instead of meat.

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 2, 3

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

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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