13/3/2020 Toor Dal (Split Yellow Pigeon Peas) Recipe - NYT Cooking

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Toor Dal (Split Yellow Pigeon Peas)

By Tejal Rao

Y I E L D 4 to 6 servings (about 3 cups)

TIME 1 1/4 hours, plus soaking

Dal can be made with all kinds of lentils and cooking methods. These vary not just from region to region, but also
from day to day, mood to mood. Some cooks like dal soupy, others chunky. There are dals for special occasions,
seasoned with charcoal smoke and butter or padded out luxuriously with cream, as well as lighter, leaner dals that
can restore you when you’re not feeling well.The flavor of this everyday, Gujarati-style dal comes from the pure
nuttiness of split pigeon peas, boiled until tender and bolstered with spices bloomed in hot ghee. This fat-
tempering technique, called vaghar in Gujarati, has many names and many uses across the country. In this case,
the tempering is a great introduction to the resourcefulness and finesse of Indian home cooks: Just a few
tablespoons of carefully seasoned fat, tipped in at the very last moment, transform an entire pot. 

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION

FOR THE DAL: Step 1

Prepare the dal: Soak the pigeon peas in a large bowl of warm water
1 cup toor dal (split yellow pigeon for about 1 hour. (They will have swelled a little.) Thoroughly rinse
peas) the soaked pigeon peas with fresh water, then tip the drained pigeon
2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped peas into a pot.

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

Step 2
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Add tomatoes, turmeric, salt and 5 cups water, and bring to a boil
¼ cup raw whole peanuts over high. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until very tender,
25 to 30 minutes.
FOR THE TEMPERING:
Step 3
¼ cup/55 grams ghee Use an immersion blender to purée some of the dal, leaving some
1 sprig fresh curry leaves intact and getting some very smooth, or whisk vigorously to break
up some of the soft dal. Stir in the peanuts and continue to simmer,
3 small cinnamon sticks
stirring occasionally, until the dal is very tender, about 30 minutes.
3 red dried chiles, such as chile de Taste and adjust with salt. If the dal has become too thick for your
árbol liking, stir in a splash of water.
3 cloves
Step 4
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
Prepare the tempering: In a small saucepan over medium heat,
Pinch of asafoetida warm the ghee. When hot, carefully add all of the tempering
ingredients (the mustard seeds will sputter!) and swirl the pan until
you can smell all the toasted spices, about 30 seconds. Pour
everything over the hot dal.

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