Maharashtrian Amti Dal Recipe - A slightly spicy, sweet and sour dal made from pigeon pea lentils or arhar dal or toor dal. A satvik recipe made without onions and garlic.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian, Maharashtrian

Ingredients

  • ½ cup tuvar dal ((toor dal or arhar dal or pigeon pea lentils))
  • 1 pinch turmeric powder
  • 1.5 to 2 cups water (- for pressure cooking)
  • 2 kokums (or 1 teaspoon seedless tamarind tightly packed soaked in 2 tablespoons of hot water)
  • 1.5 to 2 teaspoons Goda Masala (or kala masala)
  • ½ tablespoon powdered jaggery ((gur) or as required)
  • ½ tablespoon coriander leaves ((chopped))
  • ½ to 1 cup water (to be added later or add as required)
  • 1 to 1.5 tablespoon grated coconut (- optional)
  • salt (as required)
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 7 to 9 curry leaves
  • 1 to 2 green chillies (or ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chilli powder)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • 1.5 to 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons coriander leaves ((chopped))

Method

cooking toor dal

  1. Pick and rinse the dal first very well in water. Then add the dal in the pressure cooker along with 1.5 to 2 cups of water and a pinch of turmeric.
  2. Pressure cook the dal on medium to high flame for 7 to 8 whistles or till the dal is cooked completely and is of mashable consistency.
  3. When the pressure in the cooker settles down on its own, open the lid and mash the dal with a spoon or a masher. Keep aside.

making amti dal

  1. In another pan, heat 1.5 tbsp oil or ghee. First crackle the mustard seeds.
  2. Then add the turmeric powder and asafoetida.
  3. Stir and then add curry leaves, green chilies or red chili powder.
  4. Add the dal and stir.
  5. Add 1 cup water or as required to get a medium consistency in the dal. Stir very well.
  6. Season with 1.5 to 2 goda masala, ½ tbsp powdered jaggery, 2 kokums, 1 to 1.5 tbsp grated coconut (optional), ½ tbsp chopped coriander leaves (optional) and salt.
  7. Instead of kokums, you can also add tamarind pulp. For the tamarind pulp, before you start cooking the dal, heat 2 tbsp water and add tamarind to it. Soak for about 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind and keep aside. Add it at this step.
  8. Simmer for 10-12 minutes on a low heat with frequent stirring (so that the dal does not stick to the bottom of the cooker) till the desired consistency is reached.
  9. Lastly check the taste of amti and add more salt, jaggery or goda masala if required.
  10. While serving the amti, you can garnish with few coriander leaves if you prefer. Serve the amti dal with steamed rice topped with a little ghee.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.