Dal

Dried beans, lentils, and peas all fall under the category of dal, and are used in myriad ways: as the main ingredients in soups and stews; soaked and fermented and ground for various pancakes; as a crunchy textural element in tempering with spices; and as a binding agent in meat and vegetable mixtures for ground-meat patties and kabobs. Following are commonly used dals that appear throughout this book: