DHAba Style Peeli Dal – Yellow Dal

Dhaba Style Peeli Dal or the Yellow Dal is one of the Indian dal preparations, made using yellow split moong beans. Dhaba Style Peeli Dal is a super simple dal that is most frequently made in our house. Dhaba Style Peeli Dal is a basic dal that is high on protein and  I make it along with different dry vegetable preparations. Peeli dal can be prepared as simple or as elaborate as you like.

Now a days with everyone at home due to the pandemic, there is no concept of weekday or weekends. The food has to be elaborate almost everyday. So today I am putting that extra effort to make turn this basic dal and taking it to another level. This tastes exactly like a Dhaba style dal.

Ingredients

1 cup – Split moong dal

1 tsp – Haldi

1 tsp – Jeera

1/2 tsp – Mustard seeds

1 sprig – Curry leaf

1 no – Small onion, finely chopped

1 no – Small tomato, finely chopped

1 tsp – Red chilly powder

1 inch – Ginger

4 cloves – Garlic

4 no – Green chilly, finely chopped

1 tsp – Ghee

Salt to taste

Finely chopped coriander

Juice of half a lemon

For tempering
1 tsp – Jeera
1 tbsp – Ghee
4 no – Garlic cloves
2 no – Red chilly

A piece of coal to smoke the dal

Preparation
Pressure cook the dal with haldi.
Crush garlic, ginger and greenchillies into a coarse paste .

Method
Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.

Add jeera and mustard seeds to this.

When it turns brown add ginger garlic chilly paste and saute till it turns brown.

Add chopped onions and saute till it turns gold.

Add chopped tomatoes to this and fry till the tomatoes soften.

Add red chilly powder and salt to this and fry for a minute.

To this add the cooked dal. Stir well. Add 2 cups of water, salt to taste and boil till it reaches a creamy consistency.

Place the coal on the flame directly for a couple of minutes till is red hot.

Place a small plate on top of the dal and place the hot coal on it. Pour half a tsp of ghee over the coal and immediately close the pan with a lid. Let the smoke flavour the dal well. I leave it till the smoke completely settles down into the food.

Add lemon juice and coriander leaf to the dal and give it a good mix.

For tempering add jeera to hot ghee in a pan. Once it turns brown, add red chilly to it. Pour it on the dal.

Serve it hot with rice or roti and sabzi like  Stuffed Karela.

*Basic way to make this dal is to make a tempering of ghee, jeera, red chillies, hing and add the cooked dal to it and season it with salt. Garnish it with coriander leaves and lemon juice.

*If you cannot find coal, replace it with a cinnamon stick.