Shahi Dal
Submitted by diepa
Shahi dal is a royal Indian lentil dish with pigeon peas simmered in whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, then finished with a ghee-fried onion tadka. Vegetarian comfort food served over rice.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
28 minREADY
58 minShahi means “royal” in Hindi, and this dal lives up to the name. Pigeon peas simmered with whole cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, and black peppercorns until tender and fragrant. It’s the kind of warmth that fills the whole house.
The tadka is where the magic happens. Onions, garlic, ginger, and fresh green chilies sizzled in ghee until the onions turn deep brown, then stirred right into the simmering lentils. Chopped tomato goes in last, melting into the pot and pulling everything together.
Served over steamed basmati rice, this is vegetarian food that doesn’t ask you to compromise on richness or depth.
Pro Tips
- Soak pigeon peas for at least 20 minutes in cold water to reduce cooking time
- Brown the onions slowly in ghee until they’re deep golden, not pale; that caramelization is the backbone of the flavor
- Leave whole spices in for serving or fish them out before plating, your call
- Fresh green chilies give a bright heat that dried chili flakes can’t replicate here
Ingredients
Directions
Wash pigeon peas and boil them in the water with the turmeric, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and salt for 20 minutes until the peas are cooked (may take longer if peas are old).
Heat ghee in a skillet, cook onion, garlic, ginger and chilies until the onion is browned.
Remove and stir into the cooked pigeon peas.
Add tomato, cover and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Serve with rice.
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