Dals

Appears in

Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent

Published 2005

About

What is Dal? If you’ve been to the Subcontinent, you know what dal is, and if you’ve spent time cooking Indian, Nepali, Bangladeshi, or Pakistani food at home, learning recipes from cookbooks, you probably know what it is. But if you are coming across the word for the first time, explanation is in order, because it can be a little confusing.

First of all, dal (sometimes written as dhal) is the common name in the northern part of the Subcontinent for a dish that is made of split beans, peas, or lentils. Dal may be like a thin soup, or it can be a very thick puree. Often its texture is between the two, so that it’s a little like split pea soup. In most parts of the Subcontinent, the main meal includes dal, bread or rice, and a vegetable, so dal is one of the essential culinary categories. It’s a very flexible and creative one, too.