Dal Fry
Yellow lentils with a rich onion-tomato base and tempering.
Ingredients
- 200 g Toor dal (split pigeon pea)
- 1 Onion
- 2 Tomato
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 4 cloves Garlic
- ½ tsp Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 3 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Salt
- 240 g Basmati rice
- 3 tbsp Cilantro (optional)
Method
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then cook it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Rinse the toor dal in cold water until it runs clear.
- Simmer the dal with turmeric and salt until soft, about 22 minutes.
- While the dal simmers: chop the onion, dice the tomato, and mince the garlic.
- While the dal simmers: chop the cilantro.
- In a second pan, fry the cumin seeds in ghee until fragrant, then add the garlic and onion and cook until golden. Add the tomato and red chili powder and cook down into a thick masala.
- Stir the masala into the cooked dal and finish with garam masala.
- Scatter cilantro and serve with rice.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Dal Fry
Dal fry is a North Indian everyday lentil dish, the kind of unglamorous staple that anchors countless home and dhaba meals across the region. What sets it apart from plainer dals is the two-stage build: the toor dal (split pigeon pea) is simmered soft on its own, while a separate masala of onion, tomato, garlic and spice is cooked down thick and then folded in. That deliberate frying of the base — rather than dumping everything into one pot — is where the name comes from and where the depth lives.
The result tastes rounder and more savory than a quick tempered dal, with the sweetness of golden onions and the mild tang of cooked-down tomato carrying warmth from cumin, turmeric, red chili and a finishing hit of garam masala. Ghee gives it a soft richness, and cilantro keeps it fresh. It sits somewhere between soupy and stew-like, comforting without being heavy, and it eats best spooned over plain rice or scooped up with roti. At around thirty-five minutes it is realistic for a weeknight, and it makes a satisfying vegetarian main that is genuinely high in fiber and protein.
Dal Fry: frequently asked questions
What's the difference between dal fry and dal tadka?
Both are North Indian lentil dishes made from similar dals (often toor/arhar, sometimes with moong or masoor), and the difference is in technique rather than ingredients. In dal fry, the aromatics—onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, and spices—are sautéed (fried) in ghee or oil and the boiled dal is then simmered into that masala base, giving a thicker, more integrated dish. In dal tadka, the dal is cooked and seasoned first, and a separate tempering (tadka)—hot ghee bloomed with cumin, garlic, dried red chilies, and often asafoetida—is poured over the top just before serving; the two overlap heavily and usage varies by restaurant and region.
How many calories are in Dal Fry?
A serving has about 527 calories — 16.9g protein, 87.4g carbs, 12.4g fat, 10.3g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Dal Fry gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Dal Fry has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Dal Fry dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Ghee. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Dal Fry take to make?
About 35 minutes start to finish, but only around 18 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Dal Fry?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out cilantro — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Dal Fry make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.