South Indian Home Style Dal For Indian Flat Breads | Chapathi Dal | South Indian Style Dal Tadka | Gluten Free and Vegan

Hi Supermoms,

'Chapathi and Dal' was a favourite tiffin during my growing up years. Chapathi used to be Sunday special dinner and amma usually made a yellow moong dal with seasonal vegetables  as the side dish .  Even today, if you visit South India and ask for chapathi dal in any restaurant, you will get a soft chapathi with a mildly spicy dal different from the ones you get in rest of India. 

Dal has a very special place in Indian cuisine and there are innumerable varieties of dal that can be cooked in so many different ways . 

Each dal dish has it's own unique flavour. It is so fascinating, is'nt it ? 

Now, let us jump  into this South Indian Homestyle Dal Recipe .

South Indian Home Style Dal Tadka:

Preparation time : 10 minutes

Cooking time : 15-20 minutes

Serves : 4

1 cup =250 ml 

Special Vessel : Pressure cooker or a thick bottomed pan/vessel

Ingredients :

1 small size bottle gourd ( peeled and finely chopped)

1-2 tomatoes ( finely chopped, optional)

1 green chilli ( split into half, length wise)

1/2 cup moong dal/ husked and split green gram

1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon sambar powder

salt to taste

For tempering :

2 teaspoons oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds

4-5 shallots/sambar onions ( optional)

pinch of asafoetida

For garnish( optional):

handful of cilantro/coriander leaves ( finely chopped) 

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

Method :

1. In a pressure cooker add the washed dal, bottle gourd, green chilli, tomato , turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and 2 cups of water.

Note : Instead of bottle gourd, you can add vegetables of your choice 

2. Pressure cook upto 2 whistles and switch off.

Note : If cooking in an open pot, add all the above in the vessel and cook covered it the dal is well cooked and soft.

3. Once the pressure releases, gently whisk the dal using a hand whisk .

4. Place the dal on low heat and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes, adjusting water quantity  if required. 

5. Heat oil and temper with ingredients given for the same. 

6. Switch off and garnish.

Your delicious South Indian Style Dal is now ready !

Happy Cooking !

With love,

Masterchefmom