The secret to perfect dhal – and why you should salt your pot from the start

Dhal would have to be India’s number one crossover dish. Pretty much everyone has tried it at least once.

Traditionally served as part of a broader meal, it is cheap, filling and nutritious. It takes care of daily protein requirements and forms one-half of India’s favourite comfort food: dal-chawal (dhal and rice), a dish beloved both across the subcontinent and throughout the global diaspora.

The dish has little in common with Western-style lentil soups in terms of cooking methods. To master it, you need to understand the everyday secrets that make it a reliable star of Indian kitchens the world over – and that’s a lot of kitchens.

My favourite is a simple yellow dhal that tastes spectacular as is, but can easily be jazzed up with a vibrant tadka (a sizzle of tempered spices) if you want to elevate it into a stunning dinner centrepiece. Follow the tips to the end of the recipe, and I guarantee your culinary success.

Choosing your dhal

The first thing to note is that the word “dhal” refers both to the uncooked lentils and to the finished dish. Here, we’re talking about your choice of raw dhal.

Because each dhal has a different level of starch, each requires a different approach to cooking and to spicing.

Soft dhal such as masoor (split red lentils) and moong (split yellow mung beans) require little to no soaking – often, a good rinse is enough. However, they do need more water to cook and a lighter hand with spices, as their excess starch can easily dull the flavours.

On the other hand, very hard dhals, such as matar (split yellow peas) and chana (split chickpeas), have little starch and so require more soaking and take longer to cook, but offer a more structured end taste.

Chana dhal

Chana, a hard, dense dhal, is my all-time favourite, but it’s difficult to get right without a pressure cooker. You’ll get different advice on soaking times, but I soak my chana in cold water in the morning, or better still, overnight, after giving it a good rinse. The chana will almost double in volume once soaked, so be sure to use a large bowl and fill it with plenty of water.

Well-soaked chana should be soft enough to taste raw. But even well-soaked chana dhal is best cooked in a pressure cooker.

Toor dhal

Toor dhal, or split pigeon pea, is a medium-soft dhal. Like all dhals, it should be rinsed well in cold water until any dust, grit and excess starch is washed free: the water should run clear. Toor dhal requires soaking for between two and four hours. No longer. Over-soaking dhal will break down its structure, resulting in a sludgier finish with less spice clarity.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, this is the Goldilocks dhal to get you started on your journey to dhal perfection.

Salting the pot

Many traditional Indian cooks argue that adding salt at the start slows down the cooking process. I categorically disagree. If you want delicious results, especially as a beginner, the easiest way to get the seasoning right is to add the salt at the beginning.

Even if it does add a few extra minutes to your cook time, the benefit is twofold. Salting early allows the flavour to pervade the dhal from the bottom up, and it means you ultimately use less salt than if you were to season the dish at the end.

Dial up the flavour

Tadka refers to the technique of tempering spices in hot fat to release their essential oils. Depending on the region and language, it is also known as a chaunk, phoron, or vaghar. Whatever the name, this sizzling finishing touch is pure alchemy, allowing the cook to super-size a dhal’s flavour by pouring punchy, aromatic oils and toasted spices straight into the finished dish.

Pressure cooker v slow cooker or crock pot

The type of pot you have should determine the variety of dhal you choose to cook. With a pressure cooker, you can do anything. With a crock-pot or slow cooker, the choice of dhal becomes much more important. When slow cooking, it is better to favour toor or masoor dhal. These varieties are inherently softer, so they will not only take less time to break down, but you will get a vastly superior texture than if you tried to cook a hard chana dhal this way.

Fail-safe yellow dhal

Every cook needs a great dhal in their repertoire. It is the ultimate flexible staple – a budget-friendly, nutritious vegetarian main in its own right, but equally brilliant as a side dish paired with everything from midweek sausages to matar paneer. Best of all, the minimal spicing and the lentils’ softer texture make this recipe virtually foolproof.

A heavy-based pot on the stove requires a gentle one-hour simmer, while a slow cooker will take three to four hours on high. If you’re short on time, a pressure cooker slashes that to just seven to 10 minutes. Whichever method you choose, ensure you give your toor dhal a good two- to four-hour soak in cold water before turning on the heat.

INGREDIENTS

400g (2 cups) toor dhal (split pigeon pea)

For the pot

• 2 tsp fine pink salt
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2cm piece of jaggery OR 1 tbsp palm sugar or coconut sugar

For the tadka

• 2-3 tbsp ghee
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp garam masala

METHOD

1. Before you start: Soak the toor dhal in plenty of cold water for two to four hours. When you’re ready to cook, drain and rinse it under cold running water.
2. Add the dhal to a heavy-based pot with 3 cups of water. Add the salt, turmeric powder and jaggery. Set to medium-high heat and stir continually for 20 minutes before turning down to low and letting it bubble for about 35 minutes, adding an extra splash of water if the pot looks too dry. You’re looking for a soft and creamy in consistency, but without the gluey stir of porridge. The finished dhal will be thicker than pumpkin soup but thinner than pea and ham – it is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
3. Slow-cooker alternative: If using a slow cooker, cook on high for three hours, then stir and check the progress. It will likely need another 30 to 40 minutes to fully break down.
4. Make the tadka: Just before serving, heat the ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add all the spices except the garam masala and heat for a few minutes until bubbly and aromatic. Immediately pour the sizzling spice oil over the cooked dhal and stir through.
5. Finish with garam masala and serve with rice.

Serves 4-6 as a main with rice, or 6 to 8 as part of a banquet