Toor Dal or Split Pigeon Pea soup is a well known dish in Indian Sub-continent. With Cereals it makes a complete balanced vegetarian diet which is rich in protein. Since it is a healthy vegetarian dish and is very easy to prepare it is a part of daily food in many households. The cultivation of pigeon pea dates back to more than 3000 years and is believed to have its origin somewhere in Indian sub-continent region. Toor Dal is very easy and quick to prepare as compared to other pulses such as Rajma or Kala Chana which take longer to cook. Being rich in protein, Toor Dal aka Split Pigeon Pea Soup is a tasty and fulfilling dish, usually served with green veggies, rice, cereals, lemon and curd/yogurt. There are many different ways in which you can consume Yellow Split Pigeon Pea and in this article we focus on Toor Dal Recipe aka Yellow Split Pigeon Pea Soup Recipe.
Toor Dal offers various health benefits due to which many people keep it as a regular part of their diet. 1 cup cooked Split Pigeon Pea provides around 12 g protein and 14 g fiber. Apart from Protein, Split Pigeon Pea are also rich source of Potassium (12%), Iron (18%), Phosphorous (18%) and Magnesium (19%). High content of Iron helps fight fatigues while adequate amount of fiber improves your digestion. It also makes you feel full for a long time and hence helps you control your hunger and reduce or manage weight. If you want to reduce weight, Toor Dal in limited quantity may be a good option to include in your diet especially if you are a Vegetarian. A well balanced diet and some moderate exercise is the key to keep your weight on check.
Toor Dal is best served with Steamed Rice or Jeera rice. It is also commonly served with Roti or Tandoori Roti. In some Northern states of India such as Uttarakhand and neighboring countries such as Nepal, Toor Dal served with Rice is often referred to as Dal Bhat meaning Toor Dal and Rice.
Refer recipe card and detailed steps to make Toor Dal or Arhar Dal aka Yellow Split Pigeon Pea Soup at home.
Making Toor Dal at home
In this section we go through few easy steps which you need to take to make Toor Dal at home. We have added pictures of milestones so you can validate your progress as you make Toor Dal or Arhar Dal.
Prerequisite to make Toor Dal
Though it is not a mandatory step but if you want you can soak Toor Dal for approx 15 – 20 mins before you cook the dish. This will soften Toor Dal and the dish will cook quickly.
Preparation of Toor Dal
Take pigeon peas in a bowl and wash it properly. This is required as now days lentils are waxed to make them look pretty and fresh. It will also get rid of any impurities from Toor dal. If you bought Toor Dal from local market, then these usually contain lot of impurities in it.
Now take it in the pressure cooker with 2 cups of water and add 1/4 tsp Salt.
Close the pressure cooker and take 2 whistles on high and 1 on low flame. Once done, keep it aside and let pressure get released slowly from the pressure cooker.
Meanwhile, finely chop Onions, Tomatoes, Green chillies and Coriander Leaves. Also, grate ginger and garlic to create a paste.
Make Toor Dal
Add Vegetable Oil in a deep pan and add some Asafoetida, Cumin seeds, Bay Leaves and whole Red chillies to it. Once the Cumin seeds turn brown, add chopped onions, green chillies and ginger – garlic paste to it.
Stir it until onions turn golden brown in colour.
Now add Turmeric powder, Red Chillies powder, Salt, Coriander powder and Garam Masala.
Stir it for a minute before adding chopped tomatoes then add tomatoes.
Stir it for another minute or two until tomatoes become soft. Now add chopped Coriander leaves to it.
Keep stirring the paste so that spices don’t get overcooked. Add little water in case the paste becomes too dry and starts to stick to the utensil.
Once the gravy gets ready, add pigeon peas to it. Also add left over water used while pressure cooking pigeon peas. Add 1/2 cup additional water to the gravy if required.
Set the gas on medium flame and cook for few mins.
Keep stirring so that Toor Dal doesn’t stick to the utensil.
After cooking Toor Dal for a few minutes it is time to switch off the gas. Your tasty Toor Dal is ready to be served.
Serve Toor dal with some freshly chopped Coriander leaves on top. Toor Dal tastes best with some Chapatis and Rice. You can also top it with some Ghee aka Clarified butter or a regular butter while serving.
Chef Recommendation for Toor Dal
- We recommend serving Toor Dal tastes well with Steamed Basmati Rice, Jeera Rice or Tandoori Roti.
- While cooking you can also use clarified butter in place of Vegetable oil. This will add a different flavour to Toor Dal.
- Adding chopped Coriander leaves while preparing gravy ensures flavours of Toor Dal and Coriander leaves blend properly ultimately enhancing the flavour and aroma of the dish.
Discover more Recipes
And that is not all folks! Shall we take this opportunity to invite you to discover more tasty and yummy recipes in our food wonderland.
- Check more such tasty main course recipes in our Recipes section.
- How about trying these recipes –
- Did you check our Dessert section for some sweet delicacies.
Toor Dal Recipe
Ingredients
Main Ingredients for Toor Dal or Arhar Dal
- 1/2 cup Yellow Pigeon Pea Toor Dal
- 1 medium size Onion Pyaaz
- 2 medium size tomato Tamatar
- 2 Garlic Cloves Lahsun
- 1 inch ginger Adrak
- 10 g Green Chillies Hari Mirch
- 1.5 tsp Salt Namak or as per taste
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds Jeera
- Pinch of Asafoetida Hing
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 Whole Red chillies
- 1/2 tsp Red Chillies powder Lal Mirch powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder Haldi
- 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder Dhaniya powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil to cook
Garnishing
- Few Coriander leaves for garnishing
Instructions
Preparation Steps to make Toor Dal
- Take pigeon peas in a bowl and wash it properly. Now take it in the pressure cooker with 2 cups of water and add 1/4 tsp Salt.1/2 cup Yellow Pigeon Pea, 1.5 tsp Salt
- Close the pressure cooker and take 2 whistles on high and 1 on low flame. Once done, keep it aside and let pressure get released slowly from the pressure cooker.
- Meanwhile, finely chop Onions, Tomatoes, Green chillies and Coriander Leaves. Also, grate ginger and garlic to create a paste.1 medium size Onion, 2 medium size tomato, 2 Garlic Cloves, 10 g Green Chillies, Few Coriander leaves, 1 inch ginger
How to make Toor Dal
- Add Vegetable Oil in a deep pan and add some Asafetida, Cumin seeds, Bay Leaves and whole Red chilies to it.1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds, Pinch of Asafoetida, 2 Bay leaves, 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil to cook, 2 Whole Red chillies
- Once the Cumin seeds turn brown, add chopped onions, green chilies and ginger – garlic paste to it. Stir it until onions turn golden brown in color.1 medium size Onion, 2 Garlic Cloves, 10 g Green Chillies, 1 inch ginger
- Now add Turmeric powder, Red Chillies powder, Salt, Coriander powder and Garam Masala. Stir it for a minute before adding chopped tomatoes.1.5 tsp Salt, 1/2 tsp Red Chillies powder, 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder, 1/2 tsp Garam Masala, 2 medium size tomato
- Now add tomatoes and Stir it for another minute or two until tomatoes become soft. Now add chopped Coriander leaves to it.Few Coriander leaves
- Keep stirring the paste so that spices don’t get overcooked. Add little water in case the paste becomes too dry and starts to stick to the utensil.
- Once the gravy gets ready, add pigeon peas to it. Also add left over water used while pressure cooking pigeon peas. Add 1/2 cup additional water to the gravy if required.1/2 cup Yellow Pigeon Pea
- Set the gas on medium flame and cook for few mins. Keep stirring so that Toor Dal doesn’t stick to the utensil.
- Now switch off the gas and your tasty Toor Dal is ready to be served. Serve Toor dal with some freshly chopped Coriander leaves on top.
Notes
- We recommend serving Toor Dal tastes well with Steamed Basmati Rice, Jeera Rice or Tandoori Roti.
- While cooking you can also use clarified butter in place of Vegetable oil. This will add a different flavour to Toor Dal.
- Adding chopped Coriander leaves while preparing gravy ensures flavours of Toor Dal and Coriander leaves blend properly ultimately enhancing the flavour and aroma of the dish.
