This Hyderabadi Khatti Dal is a tangy lentil preparation made with split pigeon peas or arhar/tuvar/tur dal with tomatoes, herbs, spices and tamarind.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Hyderabadi, Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup tuvar dal ((tur dal or arhar dal))
  • 2.5 cups water (- for pressure cooking the lentils)
  • ½ cup tomatoes (- chopped or 1 medium-sized tomato)
  • 1 inch ginger (peeled and finely chopped or grated)
  • 2 garlic cloves (medium-sized, grated or crushed or minced)
  • 1 pinch turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind ((seedless), soaked in ½ cup hot water for 20 minutes)
  • 2 to 3 green chilies (chopped or slit - add as required depending on the hotness of the chilies)
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder ((ground coriander))
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper)
  • ¾ to 1 cup water (to be added later or add as required)
  • salt (as required)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoon ghee ((clarified butter) or oil)
  • 2 to 3 dried red chilies (- kept whole or broken and deseeded - add as required)
  • 6 to 8 garlic cloves (- small to medium-sized, finely chopped)
  • 12 to 15 curry leaves
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))

Method

Cooking the lentils

  1. Rinse the lentils a few times in water.
  2. In a 3 litre pressure cooker, cook the lentils with the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, 2.5 cups water for 7-8 whistles or more till the lentils are tender and mushy.
  3. When the pressure settles down naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid.
  4. Mash the dal with a madani, wooden spoon or hand blender till fine and smooth.
  5. Meanwhile when the dal is cooking, soak tamarind in hot water for 20 minutes.
  6. Squeeze the pulp from the tamarind directly into its bowl of water.
  7. Strain the tamarind pulp and add to the dal.
  8. Also add the green chilies, turmeric, red chili powder and coriander powder. Stir in ¾ or 1 cup water along with salt.
  9. Keep the dal on a low heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or till the raw aroma of the tamarind goes away, all the flavors have blended well and the dal has reached a medium consistency.
  10. Cover and keep the cooked dal aside.

Making tempering

  1. Heat ghee or oil in a small frying pan. Keep heat to a low. Crackle the cumin seeds first.
  2. Then add the garlic and fry for 4 to 5 seconds on low heat. Add the dried red chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida.
  3. On low heat fry till the red chilies change their color and the curry leaves become crisp.
  4. Pour this entire tempering mixture over the khatti dal and stir to combine.
  5. Cover and keep aside the dal for 5 to 6 minutes for the flavors to mingle.
  6. Serve Hyderabadi Khatti Dal with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice, saffron rice or roti.

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.