Hyderabadi Khatti Dal

Ingredients

• 1 cup Toor dal
• 2 cups Water (Additional water may be added if the dal becomes too thick.)
• 2 Green chilies (Whole for the initial cooking; 2–3 additional chilies are slit and added later.)
• 1 tsp Red chili powder (The source writes “1 tap,” interpreted as 1 teaspoon.)
• 0.25 tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt (To taste.)
• 0.75 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
• 2 medium Tomatoes (Chopped; use either 2 medium tomatoes or 1 large tomato.)
• 0.25 cup Tamarind concentrate (The amount may need adjustment depending on how much water is used to make the tamarind sauce; the dal should not become overly tangy.)
• Cilantro (Chopped; some is cooked into the dal and some is used for garnish.)
• Curry leaves (Some leaves, added with the cilantro.)
• Cooking oil (For the tempering; amount not specified.)
• 2 Garlic (Garlic pods/cloves for the tempering.)
• 3 Dried red chilies (For the tempering.)
• 1 heaped tsp Cumin seeds (Called zeera in the source.)

Steps

1. 1

   Place the toor dal in a pot. Add the water, 2–3 whole green chilies, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste, ginger-garlic paste, and the chopped tomatoes.

2. 2

   Cook until the dal and tomatoes are soft. Alternatively, pressure-cook for 2 whistles, then simmer for 5–7 minutes to finish cooking.

3. 3

   Once the dal is soft, mash it thoroughly by hand until smooth in consistency. Do not use a hand blender, as the source says it will spoil the texture.

4. 4

   Add the tamarind concentrate and adjust the amount according to the water used for the tamarind sauce. Use enough for a pleasant tang without making the dal overly sour.

5. 5

   Add chopped cilantro, curry leaves, and 2–3 slit green chilies. Cook over high heat and bring the dal to a boil, cooking for about 3–5 minutes so the tamarind cooks through and the herbs release their aroma.

6. 6

   If the dal is too thick, add water and adjust the consistency.

7. 7

   For the bagaar, warm some oil in a pan. Add the garlic cloves, dried red chilies, and heaped cumin seeds.

8. 8

   Cook the tempering until it splatters and the garlic browns.

9. 9

   Pour the hot tempering into the dal and mix well.

10. 10

    Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

Notes

The post presents the dal alongside tala hua gosht, but provides only the dal recipe; the gosht recipe is said to be in a pinned comment and is not included here. The source does not specify the amount of oil, cilantro, curry leaves, or salt.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• side dish
• vegetarian
• South Asian
• Hyderabadi
• lentils
• tangy
• pressure-cooked