Crisp at the edges and tender through the middle, Toor Daal with Bay Leaf and crisp Cilantro (Pigeon Pea soup) with Jeera Rice is a vegan, vegetarian Indian, Vegan main course made with Toor Daal, water, and organic canola oil or coconut oil in about 40 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian, Vegan

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Toor Daal (Split pigeon Pea)
  • 2 cups water

Tadka/Chaunk/Tempering:

  • 2 Teaspoons organic canola oil or coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed (Raee)
  • 2 bay leaves (tejpatta)
  • a generous pinch of asafetida (hing)
  • 1 whole red chili broken into 2 (or 1 green chili chopped)
  • 3-4 Tablespoons cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 medium tomato chopped
  • 3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Variations:

  • Add 1/4 teaspoon paprika or 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder to the tadka
  • Add greens with the cilantro.
  • Add 2-3 tomatoes.
  • Add a teaspoon of Tamarind pulp

Method

  1. Wash and soak daal/lentils for half an hour. If not using pressure cooker then soak for atleast 4 hours.
  2. In pressure cooker or a medium deep pan, add oil and heat on medium heat.
  3. Test the heat by adding a few mustard seeds to the oil; if they crack immediately, the oil is ready.
  4. Add mustard seeds, and after a few seconds, add bay leaves and red chili/green chili, stir for 10-15 seconds.
  5. Add the chopped cilantro and cook for a minute or so until it crisps up.
  6. Add the tomatoes and turmeric. Mix well and cook covered until tomatoes are half done.(3-4 minutes)
  7. Rinse Daal and add with water and salt. Mix.
  8. Pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium, or cook covered for 20-30 minutes on medium-low, or until daal is starts to mix with the water.
  9. Serve hot with fresh cumin Rice.
  10. Add lemon juice if needed. Or serve along with some Indian Pickle/Achar.

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.