Restaurant Style Yellow Dal Fry

Dal (Lentils) is the most common dish in the Indian kitchen. Cooking the same old dal  everyday becomes somewhat a boring affair. So why not infuse something to make it not only interesting to cook but to eat as well?  Restaurant style yellow dal fry is that dish which will give you the flavour you are looking for in your mundane dal. Gives both the taste and texture, the dal cooked in this way will be loved by your family and make this bright yellow dal as a side dish while hosting a party as well to liven up your party table.

Restaurant Style Yellow Dal Fry

I have used arhar dal or tuvar dal because in almost all the renowned restaurants I have found that they use arhar dal in yellow dal fry. Try to take the unglazed variety. This dal should be of a thicker consistency than the normal everyday dal. So use water accordingly.

This Is How I Made It:
 

Ingredients:

• 250 gms Arhar dal/tuvar dal/pigeon pea lentils
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 big tomato finely chopped
• 1 tsp green chili paste
• ½ tsp black mustard seeds/rai/shorshe
• ½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2-3 whole dry red chilies
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• 2 tablespoons kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
• A fistful of chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Ghee/clarified butter for frying as per requirement

Restaurant Style Yellow Dal Fry

Procedure:

Step 1:

Wash the dal and cook in a pressure cooker with ½ tsp turmeric and salt upto 7-8 whistles. Keep aside.

Step 2:

Heat ghee in a kadai or wok. Splutter cumin seeds, mustard seeds, asafetida and torn dry red chilies. Add onions and fry them golden. Add the ginger garlic paste, sauté. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry until pulpy.

Step 3:

Add ½ tsp turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and the dried fenugreek leaves. Fry the whole thing for a minute.

Step 4:

Pour in the boiled lentils (add more water if you think the consistency is too thick) and cook on low heat for another 3-4 minutes for the flavour to soak in.

Step 5:
 

Add lemon juice if you want and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti/parantha/naan/pulao/jeera rice.