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Chataka Dal Spicy Maharashtrian Toor Dal
5 from 15 votes

Chataka Dal Spicy Maharashtrian Toor Dal

Chataka Dal is a spicy Maharashtra-style Toor Dal cooked with turmeric and tomato, tempered with mustard seeds, cumin, fresh curry leaves, garlic, and chili powders. The dal has a smooth, tender consistency and a strong, layered spice flavor enhanced by the aromatic tempering. It is traditionally served with rice and flatbreads for a hearty meal.

Cook Time
1 hr 35 mins
Total Time
1 hr 35 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 127 kcal
Course: Side Dish, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup toor dal You can also use chana dal (split skinned brown chickpeas) or Moong dal (split mung beans, split pigeon peas
  • 1 tomato chopped small
  • 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups water
For the tadka/tempering:
  • 2 teaspoons neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
  • 12 curry leaves fresh or frozen or dried
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or use 1/2 tsp cayenne and 1/2 tsp paprika
  • lemon juice for garnish
  • cilantro for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Cook the split peas or lentils: wash the lentils/dal and soak in hot water for 10 minutes then drain and add to a sauce pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Cook over medium heat, partially covered. Depending on the dal it will take anywhere between 35 to 55 minutes.
  2. If using chana dal, use a pressure cooker and pressure cook 18-20 minutes. It might take up to 2 hours in a saucepan if the dal is too old.
  3. To pressure cook the dal, use only 2 cups of water and add the rest of the ingredients with the washed and drained dal to an instant pot or pressure cooker and pressure cook for 10 minutes for the split pigeon pea / toor dar, 6 minutes for moong dal and 18 minutes for chana dal. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins then quick release, then open the lid.
  4. Make the tempering. Add oil to a skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, you can check the oil by putting 1 or 2 mustard seeds and see if they start to change colour immediately. If they don’t then let the oil get hot for another minute or 2. If they pop out immediately, the oil is a bit too hot, reduce heat a bit and continue.
  5. Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil and cook until either the mustard seeds pop or change color and lighten significantly. Then add the cumin seeds and mix well for a few seconds. Then reduce the heat to medium and add the curry leaves, asafoetida and mix in for another few seconds. Then add garlic carefully and mix in really well.
  6. If you’re using an electric stove, take pan off the stove because the electric stove takes longer to reduce the heat. Also add in 1 more teaspoon of oil if pan is overheated.
  7. As soon as  the garlic is starting to turn golden, mix really well then add in the Kashmiri chili powder, cayenne and mix in. Take the pan off heat.
  8. Drop this tadka/tempering into the dal. I usually put the dal into a serving container before adding the tadka so that tempering can be swirled in and not mixed in completely.
  9. If your tempering doesn’t have enough oil then you can add in a few splashes of water to get all of the tempering and pour this hot tempering all over the cooked dal. Swirl it in.
  10. Garnish with lemon juice and cilantro and serve immediately, with flatbread, bhakri or rice. This Chataka dal goes incredibly well with rice.

Notes

  • Reduce cayenne and Kashmiri chili powder to moderate the heat to your preference.
  • Serve this dal with sides like poriyal, jackfruit bhaji, crispy potatoes, or eggplant dishes.
  • Pair with sorghum bhakri flatbread for a gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free meal.
  • If avoiding garlic, omit it and add extra asafoetida plus dried fenugreek leaves for flavor.

Nutrition Information

Calories 127kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 20g (7%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 3g (5%) Saturated Fat 0.2g (1%) Sodium 337mg (14%) Potassium 117mg (2%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 589IU (12%) Vitamin C 66mg (73%) Calcium 52mg (5%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 127

% Daily Value*

Calories 127kcal 6%
Carbohydrates 20g 7%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 0.2g 1%
Sodium 337mg 14%
Potassium 117mg 2%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 589IU 12%
Vitamin C 66mg 73%
Calcium 52mg 5%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.