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Dal chawal in plate with popodums

Indian Dal Chawal - Lentils with Lamb and Rice

Safira
Indian Dal Chawal - Lentils with Lamb and Rice - This is the ultimate comfort food and a dish we grew up on. It is a part of Indian cuisine. Dal Chawal or Dal Gosh Pilau is a delicious meal with succulent pieces of tender lamb in a creamy aromatic dal. It is served with fragrant Basmati Rice and is often served on special occasions. This is my mums recipe and it is delicious! 
5 from 16 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch/Dinner
Cuisine Bharuchi, Indian, South Asian
Servings 8
Calories 247 kcal

Ingredients
  

Rice

  • 1/4 cup Toor Dal
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 1 ½ tbsp Ghee
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 1/2 Onion diced
  • 2.5 cups Rice Long grain, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes
  • 5 cups Water Boiled
  • 2.5 tsp Salt

Dal

  • 2lb Lamb Shoulder or Leg Cut into chunks
  • 2 tbsp Oil
  • 3 tsp Salt
  • 1 small Onion Chopped into chunks
  • 1 large Cinnamon Stick
  • 12 Cloves
  • 10 Black Peppercorns
  • 7 Green Cardamoms
  • 2 Star Anise
  • 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 2 cups Oily Toor Daal
  • 1 inch Ginger Crushed
  • 6 cloves Garlic Crushed
  • 2 Dry Red Chillies Cracked slightly
  • 1 piece Dagar na Phool

Masala

  • 3 tbsp Oil
  • 2 tbsp Ghee
  • 2 Cinnamon Sticks
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 6 Black Peppercorns
  • 6 Cloves
  • 4 Green Cardamom Pods slightly cracked
  • 2 Black Cardamoms
  • 1 Star Anise
  • 2 large Onions chopped finely
  • Handful Dagar na Phool
  • 2 tbsp Dry Fenugreek
  • 1 inch Ginger crushed
  • 6 cloves Garlic crushed
  • 2 Green Chillies slit down the middle
  • 250 ml Plum Tomato Tin Pureed
  • 1.5 tsp Coriander Powder
  • 1.5 tsp Cumin Powder
  • 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 - 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • ⅛ tsp Ground Mace
  • 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder

Instructions
 

Rice

  • Rinse and boil 1/4 cup toor daal for 20 minutes.
  • Add oil  and ghee to a pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf and cinnamon stick and once frangrant and spluttering, add onions. Cook till golden brown. Then stir in the rice. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the water and add the salt and boiled toor daal.
  • Bring the rice to a quick boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for approximately 15 - 25 minutes (this time really depends on the rice you are using), till all the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked through. Top with chopped coriander and serve hot.

Dal

  • Add all the ingredients for the Dal to a large pot. Cover with enough water to cover all the ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 1 - 1.5 hours or until the toor daal has completely broken down. You can also put it all in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes instead.

Masala

  • Heat oil/ghee in a pot over high heat.
  • Add whole spices - star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, black and green cardamom, cloves and peppercorns.
  • Add the chopped onions and a handful of Dagar na pool. Turn the heat down to medium/low.
  • Once the onions have browned (about 20 minutes over medium/low), add fenugreek, ginger, garlic and green chilli. Cook for a couple of minutes on medium low. 
  • Add pureed tomato, 1.5 tsp cumin powder, 1.5 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric, red chilli, mace (optional), 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, 1/2 tsp cardamom powder (optional).
  • Simmer on low until the oil separates from the tomato. (The best way to do this is to bring to a rapid boil and then covering and cooking on low for 15 - 20 minutes).
  • When the daal is done and broken down - add the masala to it and 1/2 cup water. Simmer on medium for 10 minutes.

Notes

Tips to make Dal Chawal

Lemon Juice - Some people like to add a squeeze of Lemon Juice at the end to add some zing.
Curry Leaves - Curry Leaves work really well with Daal. You can add it in the Masala part of the recipe when the other whole spices are added. Or you can temper them in Oil seperately and pour over the Daal. 
Doodhi - Add peeled and chopped Bottle Gourd to the Dal when boiling and then either leave it whole or blend it. This adds flavour and also thickens the Dal.

How to make Dal Chawal in a Electric Pressure Cooker 

This is an easy Dal recipe but what makes it even easier, is to let a pressure cooker do most of the work. Simply add all the ingredients for the Dal part of the recipe to a pressure cooker and boil for 30 minutes.

storage

Dal Chawal keeps well in an airtight container for up to 3 days and freezes well for up to 2 months.
Thaw overnght in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or stove. Ensure it is piping hot all the way through before serving.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 5gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 1292mgPotassium: 100mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Bharuchi Dal Chawal, Dal Chawal
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