Tridali Dal (Mixed lentils stew)

-Serves 4
​There are many different kinds of lentils in India and each and every one of them tastes unique. With so many lentils and many more states in the country, there are literally hundreds of lentil recipes out there. You might have had dal makhani and dal tadka at Indian restaurants but trust me, there are many more dals indigenous to different communities in India. One such recipe is ‘Sindi Tridali’ which literally translates to ‘three lentil stew.’ Although traditionally made with a mix of chana dal, urad dal and green moong dal, this recipe turns out equally well using a a bag of mixed lentils from an Indian grocery store. The final tadka (tempering) of garlic fried in hot ghee is the essence of this dish - so please please don’t skip it. Vegans can easily replace ghee with coconut oil here. The final dish is great with steamed rice and pappadums, and even better with homemade chapatis. Hope you enjoy this recipe and make it as much as I do :)

Ingredients ​for Tridali Dal

1/2 cup Chana dal (bengal gram lentils) 
1/2 split, peeled Urad dal (split, peeled black lentils)
1/4 cup green, split Moong dal (split green lentils)
250g tomato, roughly cubed
85g sliced red onion 
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 red chili padi (bird’s eye chili), finely chopped
1 teaspoon vegetable or coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1.5 teaspoons salt 
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
For Tempering (Tadka):
​6-7 garlic cloves, roughly sliced 
1/4 teaspoon hing (asafetida), optional 
2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil 
15-20 curry leaves

Tridali Dal Recipe Video

​​​Recipe 
  1. Place the three lentils in a bowl and rinse well. Soak lentils in a few cups of water for about an hour; drain.
  2. Pressure cook: In a pressure cooker, place lentils, with 3 cups of water, along with cubed tomato, onions, ginger and chopped chili, oil, turmeric and salt. Cover and pressure-cook on high heat until pressure is full. Reduce heat to low flame and cook for about 10 more minutes. Set aside for about 30 minutes until pressure is completely out before opening the pressure cooker.                                                                                                                       OR                                                                                                                                                   Use a Saucepan: If using a saucepan, place lentils in a saucepan on high heat with 3.5 cups or water. Add chopped tomato, onion, ginger, chopped chili, oil, turmeric and salt, and wait until the liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover partially and cook for about an hour until lentils are soft.
  3. Whisk dal gently until slightly creamy. 
  4. For the tempering (also known as “Tadka”), heat ghee in a small frying pan, add sliced garlic, hing, curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds-1 minute until garlic turns golden brown. 
  5. Add the hot tempering to cooked dal and cover immediately. Finally add lemon juice, garnish with chopped coriander leaves, stir well, and serve with steamed rice or chapatis.
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