Easy Dal Chawal Recipe
Hi friends! I’m excited to share with you a simple and delicious recipe for Dal Chawal, a wholesome dish that’s popular throughout the sub-Indian continent.
Dal Chawal, which translates to “lentil rice,” is a hearty and wholesome meal that combines cooked lentils with rice. It’s a very forgiving dish when it comes to experimentation, so feel free to try different types of lentils or beans, or to adjust the spices to your liking.
For this particular recipe (my version), I’ve kept things simple and used a combination of simple ingredients and spices for an incredible flavor. To serve, you can enjoy the dal chawal as is, or add some raw or pickled onions, green chilies, papad (poppadums), and fresh lemon wedges on the side. Trust me, the added sides really take the dish to the next level!
I hope you give this Dal Chawal recipe a try and enjoy it as much as I do.
Let’s go!
Dal Chawal Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
To prepare chawal (rice),
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3.5 cups water
To prepare dal (lentil),
- 1/2 cup toor dal (aka Split Yellow Pigeon Peas, or Arhar Dal)
- 1/2 cup whole masoor dal (aka Brown Lentils)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 inch ginger (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 green chili (finely chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried mango powder (amchur)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup hot water (adjust for desired consistency)
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- Papad / Poppadum (add-on)
- Raw onion slices (add-on)
- Fresh lemon (add-on)
- Green chili (add-on)
- Fried onion / Birista (add-on)
Instructions
Step A : Prepare rice
- In a large bowl, add rice + 4 cups of tap water. Gently wash the rice and discard the starchy water. Repeat this step until the water runs clear.
- Transfer the (drained) rice to a thick-bottom cooking pot. Add salt + coconut oil + water. Give it a quick stir.
- Cover the pot. Turn up the heat to high and bring it to a boil.
- Once it starts boiling, bring down the heat to low-medium and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Once cooked, turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Fluffy rice is ready!
Step B : Prepare dal
- In a large bowl, add toor dal + masoor dal. Add 2-3 cups of tap water. Gently wash the lentils and discard the water.
- Add 2 cups of water to the bowl and let the lentils soak for a while (we'll cook spices in the meantime).
- Set a pressure cooker (jiggle-top / stovetop) over medium heat. For electric pressure cooker, set it to 'SAUTE'.
- Add oil. Once it's hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter for 1 minute, or until brown.
- Now add onion + ginger + garlic + chili + hing. Stir-saute for 5 minutes, or until they're light brown.
- Then add tomato puree + turmeric powder + cumin powder + coriander powder + Kashmiri red chili powder + dried mango powder + salt.
- Mix well and stir-cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture turns thick and paste-like.
- Then add the soaked (and drained) dals + 2 cups of water to the pressure cooker. Give it a quick stir.
- Secure the pressure cooker's lid and seal the pressure valve. For electric pressure cooker set the timer to 15 minutes. For jiggle-top pressure cooker cook for 4 whistles over medium heat.
- Once cooked, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Open the lid and mix everything up. Add hot water (you can add/subtract this water content per your desired consistency) + freshly chopped cilantro. Mix some more.
Step C : Serve!
- Dal chawal is ready! Serve alongside papad *highly recommended* , raw onion *highly recommended*, lemon wedges *highly recommended*, green chili and fried onion.
Notes
- The nutrition chart does not contain macros from the add-ons.
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe, check out this delicious Vegan Palak Paneer recipe I posted earlier.
If you like to support me and my work, check out my Indian Vegan, Air Fryer Vegan, and all my upcoming cookbooks where I teach you how to make hundreds of delicious plant-based recipes.
Thank you for stopping by!
Keywords: Indian vegan recipes, indian dishes, hearty and healthy, lentil rice, whole meal, pressure-cooked, instant pot, spices, basmati rice, filling and wholesome dinner ideas, indian vegan and vegetarian dishes
5 Responses
I used to have dal chawal all the time back in India. This looks so good. Def making them for lunch tomorrow.
Thank you, KissMeNot. Hope you like it! 🙂
This looks amazing. But wondering whether I should use brown lentils or red – masoor dal are actually red lentils
Thanks – nice recipe and healthy meal – even with just plain rice (I like a bit of butter!) and a papad or veg samosa is all you need for a good cheap meal.