Famous Rajasthani Panchratna Dal recipe (also referred to as Panchratna Dal) that is made with a mix of five unique and different lentils. This is a healthy, flavorful protein packed lentil preparation made without onion and garlic.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 45 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 65 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian, Rajasthani

Ingredients

  • bengal gram dal ((chana dal))
  • green gram dal ((moong dal))
  • pink lentils ((masoor dal))
  • pigeon peas spilt and skinned ((tuvar dal or arhar dal))
  • black gram ((urad dal))
  • 3 to 3.5 cups water for pressure cooking the dals
  • 2 green cardamom
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 green chilli, (- crushed in a mortar pestle)
  • 2 to 3 red chillies, (broken and seeds removed)
  • 1 inch ginger (- crushed in a mortar pestle)
  • 1 large tomato, (chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder ((hing))
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons ghee ((clarified butter) or oil)
  • salt as required

Method

Pressure cooking lentils

  1. Rinse all the lentils for a couple of times in fresh water.
  2. Then soak them in water for 30 to 45 minutes. After 30 to 45 minutes drain all the water.
  3. Pressure cook the lentils with water for 4 to 5 whistles on a medium heat or till they are completely cooked and softened.
  4. Mash the cooked lentils lightly with a spoon.
  5. If the lentils mixture look thick, then add some hot water and stir to get a medium consistency in it.

Making panchmel dal

  1. In another frying pan, heat oil or ghee. On a low heat add cumin seeds. Let them splutter. Then add the cloves, cardamoms and broken dried red chilies with seeds removed.
  2. Fry till the red chilies change color. Add the crushed ginger and green chilly. Fry them for a few seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger goes away.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, asafoetida (hing), turmeric powder and garam masala powder.
  4. Saute the tomatoes well on a low flame till they become soft and mushy. The oil or ghee will also separate.
  5. Now add this fried tempering mixture to the lentils. Mix well.
  6. Simmer the dal for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often so that the flavors of the spices infuse well with the lentils.
  7. Add salt as per taste and mix well. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Adding coriander leaves is optional.
  8. You can choose to add a drizzle of about 1 to 2 teaspoons of ghee to the dal panchmel in the serving bowl.
  9. Serve panchmel dal with roti, rice, jeera rice, paratha or dal bati.

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.