Fry

Morning Breakfast Dal

by:
March 15, 2011
3.7
3 Ratings
Morning Breakfast Dal
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

For the past month or so, my boyfriend and I have been eating this almost everyday for breakfast. We both were concerned about our cholesterol after a stint of eggs and bacon every morning, but wanted something with enough protein to keep us going all morning and with enough flavor to keep us interested. I usually make a big pot on Sunday and we eat it the rest of the week. There are so many variations on this Indian classic, but this is the one we've been enjoying of late.

Some easy variations we like to use: add a fried egg on top or stir in some spinach if you want more vegetables. I think this is already a little spicy, but Tabasco goes well with it too! —student epicure

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup moong dal
  • 1/2 cup split yellow peas (aka toor dal or split yellow pigeon peas))
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 3/4 teaspoon tumeric
  • 3 tablespoons ghee (butter or olive oil can be substituted, but ghee really has the best flavor)
  • 1 small-medium onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 inch knob ginger, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo peppers (I know, not very traditional, but delicious! A slightly lesser amount of regular chili flakes works too)
  • salt and fresh ground Telicherry pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Place moong dal and toor dal in a medium pot with water and tumeric. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook at a moderate simmer until moong dal has lost its shape and toor dal is very tender. Make sure to stir the pot every once in awhile to make sure the dal isn't sticking to the bottom. If the peas start to look dry (it should become about the consistency of oatmeal), add more water. This should all take ~30 minutes.
  2. When peas have reached desired consistency, remove from heat. In a frying pan (I like to use a wok), heat ghee over medium heat until melted. Add onion, garlic and ginger and fry until they begin to soften and just faintly brown. Add cumin and chili and fry another two minutes. Stir into dal and season with salt and pepper.
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  • kevin.townsley
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  • pauljoseph
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  • student epicure
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student epicure

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14 Reviews

kevin.townsley
kevin.townsley August 15, 2011
I made this recipe yesterday and it was great. It does take a little longer to cook than indicated, however. For anyone unsure, it's very similar to split pea soup, except instead of the traditional ham-bone for flavor you get to enjoy a little Indian flare. This goes great with a little ghee sauteed kielbasa!
 
student E.
student E. August 16, 2011
glad you enjoyed it!!! cooking time can definitely vary, depending on the lentils you use. love the idea of adding kielbasa!
 
boulangere
boulangere March 23, 2011
Oooh! I'm going to try this this weekend. With a health dose of Siracha!
 
luvcookbooks
luvcookbooks March 23, 2011
made this and it was delicious. First time I tried to make ghee and then cook with it, gives the onions a delicious rich flavor. Usually I use oil but the butter is worth it for a special occasion.
 
student E.
student E. March 23, 2011
so glad you enjoyed it! whole foods also sells a really delicious organic ghee. i sometimes buy it in bulk at indian groceries too.
 
fitsxarts
fitsxarts March 16, 2011
this is fabulous! added spinach and an egg, as you suggested, and topped with some sambal oelek. i can see why you eat this every morning.
 
student E.
student E. March 16, 2011
wonderful! so glad you liked it! i would never have thought to add samal oelek -- now i'm going to!
 
fitsxarts
fitsxarts March 18, 2011
i just made it a second time since discovering this recipe on weds. it's that good!
 
student E.
student E. March 22, 2011
nice!! so glad you enjoyed it so much!
 
luvcookbooks
luvcookbooks March 16, 2011
going to try this, luv the idea for a breakfast porridge
 
student E.
student E. March 16, 2011
thanks, luvcookbooks!
 
pauljoseph
pauljoseph March 15, 2011
Excellent recipe I tried this today but I garnish the dal with fresh cilantro If you like I can post the picture I took
 
student E.
student E. March 16, 2011
so glad you liked it! definitely feel free to post a pic!
 
student E.
student E. March 16, 2011
pic looks great! thanks for adding it! yum, cilantro is a very good addition.