90 dal lentil recipes

Mung dal with black mustard seeds, turmeric, and ginger, finished with a hot ghee tadka of sputtering mustard seeds and green chile. A traditional Indian lentil dish with bright, bold tempering.

Traditional Indian soured lentils in tangy yogurt sauce with warming spices. A protein-rich vegetarian dish where mung dal meets creamy, fermented yogurt.

Pitlai is a South Indian lentil stew with bitter gourd (karela), chickpeas, tamarind, and a ground coconut-spice paste. A tangy, complex vegetarian curry with toor dal and jaggery.

South Indian sambar with toor dal, potatoes, tomatoes, and tamarind in a spiced lentil broth finished with a mustard seed tempering. Serve with rice, idli, or dosa.

Gujarati dal: a Western Indian lentil stew with eggplant, zucchini, and tomato, tempered with mustard seed, cumin, and asafetida in ghee. Vegetarian, warmly spiced, served over rice.

This succulent Eastern dish has a unique spicy taste that will have you begging for a second helping.

Osas are classic South Indian dosas: thin, crisp rice-and-lentil crepes made from a naturally fermented batter of rice and urad dal. Vegan, gluten-free, and golden with lacy, reddish-brown edges.

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.

Lucknawi dal simmers pink lentils with turmeric and tamarind, then finishes with a sizzling tadka of cumin seeds, fried onion, garlic, ginger, and dried red chili. Sour, smoky, and brothy in the best Awadhi tradition.

A rich vegan stew simmered in coconut milk and tangy tamarind with cauliflower, chickpeas, mushrooms, and warming spices. Deeply layered and satisfying.