Dals

Dal (sometimes transcribed dhal) is the term used in most of the northern parts of the Subcontinent for split legumes (often referred to as pulses by the British) such as mung beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), and lentils. Whole unsplit dried legumes are sometimes referred to in English as gram; once split, they’re called dal. Take dried mung beans, for example. When they’re whole and dark green, they are referred to as mung gram. When they’re split and skinned, they are a brilliant yellow color and are referred to as mung dal. Similarly, dried whole chickpeas, the small darker-skinned variety, as opposed to garbanzos, are called Bengal gram. What we in North America call split peas, yellow and hard, are generally known as toovar or toor dal in the Subcontinent. They’re widely used in the southern regions for making sambhar and also in Gujarat.