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 Lentils are a staple ingredient in cuisines from theIndian subcontinent. Clockwise from upper right: split red lentils, common green whole lentils, andLe Puy lentils. Whole lentils have their outer coats visible. | |
| Alternative names | Daal, dail, dahl, parripu,pappu, ooti, daje |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Indian subcontinent |
| Main ingredients | Lentils,peas orbeans |
InIndian cuisine,dal (also spelleddaal ordhal[1] pronunciation:[d̪aːl]),parippu,pappu, orparuppu are dried, splitpulses (e.g.,lentils,peas, andbeans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pulses in the world.[2] The term is also used for varioussoups prepared from these pulses. These pulses are among the most importantstaple foods inSouth Asian countries, and form an important part of thecuisines of the Indian subcontinent.[3]
The worddāl (dal) derives from theSanskrit verbal rootdal- "to split",[4][5] which is inherited fromProto-Indo-European*delh₁- "to split, divide".[6][7][8]
Lentils are among the most ancient cultivated foods; they have been found in human settlements dating back to theBronze Age.[9] Researchers have dated the preparation and cooking of split dal as far back as 800-300 BC.[10]
Dal as a staple food has been mentioned in many ancient religious texts, including theYajurveda, theMahayana BuddhistLaṅkāvatāra Sūtra, and the Bible:
May for me strength, righteousness, milk, sap, ghee, honey, eating and drinking in company, ploughing, rain, conquest, victory, wealth, riches, prosperity, prospering, plenteousness, lordship, much, more, fun, fuller, imperishableness, bad crops, food, freedom from hunger, rice, barley, beans, sesame, kidney beans, vetches, wheat, lentils, millet,Panicum miliaceum,Panicum frumentaceum, and wild rice (prosper through the sacrifice).
Now, Mahāmati, the food I have permitted [my disciples to take] is gratifying to all wise people but is avoided by the unwise; it is productive of many merits, it keeps away many evils; and it has been prescribed by the ancient Rishis. It comprises rice, barley, wheat, kidney beans, beans, lentils, etc., [...] food prepared with these is proper food.
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.
— Genesis 25:33, New International Version
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Dal are often prepared in three different forms:
The hulling of a pulse is intended to improve digestibility and palatability. It also affects the nutrition provided by the dish, significantly increasing protein and reducingdietary fibre content.[16] Pulses with their outer hulls intact are also quite popular in the Indian subcontinent as the main cuisine. Over 50 different varieties of pulses are known in the Indian subcontinent.[citation needed]
Dal is frequently eaten withflatbreads, such asrotis orchapatis, or with rice. The latter combination is calleddal bhat inNepali,Gujarati, and various other Indian languages. In addition, certain types of dal are fried, salted, and eaten as a dry snack, and a variety of savory snacks are made by frying a paste made from soaked and ground dals in different combinations, to which other ingredients, such as spices and nuts (commonlycashews) may be added.
Dal preparations are eaten with rice,chapati andnaan on theIndian subcontinent. The manner in which it is cooked and presented varies by region. In South India, dal is often called "paruppu". It is primarily used to make a dish calledsambar. It is also used to makeparippu that is mixed withcharu and rice. Ground chana dal is used to make a paste called besan, which is used in the preparation of many dishes includingbhaji[17] and Mediterranean dishes likefarinata.
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Most dal recipes are quite simple to prepare. The standard preparation begins with boiling a variety of dal (or a mix) in water with someturmeric, salt to taste, and then adding a fried garnish at the end of the cooking process.[18] In some recipes, tomatoes,kokum, unripemango,jaggery, or other ingredients are added while cooking the dal, often to impart a sweet-sour flavour.
The fried garnish for dal goes by many names, includingchaunk,tadka/tarka,bagar,fodni, andphoran. The ingredients in thechaunk for each variety of dal vary by region and individual tastes. The raw spices (more commonlycumin seeds,mustard seeds,asafoetida, and sometimesfenugreek seeds and driedred chili pepper) are first fried for a few seconds in the hot oil on medium/low heat. This is generally followed byginger, garlic, and onion, which are generally fried for 10 minutes. After the onion turns golden brown, ground spices (turmeric,coriander,red chili powder,garam masala, etc.) are added. Thechaunk is then poured over the cooked dal.
As the main ingredient of dal is the pulse used, it gains much of its nutritional properties from the pulse.
| Item | Water | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked rice[19] | 68.4 | 2.7 |
| Cooked dal[20] | 68.5 | 11.9 |
| Roti[21] | 33.5 | 11.5 |
| Cooked soybean[22] | 62.5 | 16.6 |
| Boiled egg[23] | 74.6 | 12.6 |
| Cooked chicken[24] | 64.3 | 25.3 |
| Vitamins | Minerals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food | Protein | A | B1 | B2 | B3 | B5 | B6 | B9 | B12 | Ch. | C | D | E | K | Ca | Fe | Mg | P | K | Na | Zn | Cu | Mn | Se |
| Cooking Reduction % | 10 | 30 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 10 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 25 | |||||||
| Rice | 14 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 49 | 22 |
| Wheat | 27 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 34 | 19 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 36 | 51 | 12 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 151 | 128 |
| Soybean | 73 | 0 | 58 | 51 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 94 | 0 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 59 | 28 | 87 | 70 | 70 | 51 | 0 | 33 | 83 | 126 | 25 |
| Toor Dal (split pigeon pea) | 43 | 1 | 43 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 114 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 29 | 46 | 37 | 40 | 1 | 18 | 53 | 90 | 12 |
| Urad Dal (black lentil) | 45 | 0 | 24 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 22 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 58 | 75 | 54 | 21 | 3 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mung Dal (mung bean) | 43 | 0 | 54 | 19 | 15 | 38 | 29 | 156 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 52 | 53 | 52 | 27 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| Chana Dal (chickpea) | 25 | 1 | 32 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 27 | 139 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 35 | 29 | 37 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 42 | 110 | 12 |
Note: All nutrient values including protein are in %DV per 100 grams of the food item. Significant values are highlighted in light gray color and bold letters.[26][27]Cooking reduction = % Maximum typical reduction in nutrients due to boiling without draining for ovo-lacto-vegetables group.[28][29]
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