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Dal bhat
Dal bhat tarkari: Nepal's everyday plate of jimbu-tempered lentils, rice, potato-cauliflower curry and tomato achar
Across Nepal, from Terai farmhouses to trekking lodges below Everest, dal bhat is not a dish so much as the meal itself, eaten twice a day, late morning and early evening, often with the words "dal bhat power, 24 hour". The plate is always the same idea: a mound of plain rice (bhat), a thin, soupy lentil dal scented with jimbu (a dried Himalayan allium) fried in ghee, a dry vegetable tarkari, a little stir-fried greens when there are some, and a sharp spoonful of achar. You pour the dal over the rice and mix it by hand, a little at a time, with bites of curry and pickle. Most newcomers make the dal too thick; Nepali dal should run off the spoon like a light soup so it soaks the rice. Chef's tip: fry the jimbu in the hot ghee only until it darkens a shade and smells of garlicky onion, about 10 seconds, then pour it straight into the dal and cover the pan to trap the aroma.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dal
For the rice
For the potato and cauliflower tarkari
To serve
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Put 7 oz split red lentils (musuro dal), 5 cups water, ½ tsp ground turmeric and ⅓ oz fresh ginger in a large pan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Skim off the grey foam with a spoon as it rises.
8 minStep 2: Turn the heat to medium-low, half-cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have collapsed completely. Whisk hard for 30 seconds so the dal turns smooth, add 1 tsp salt, and check the texture: it should be thin and pourable, like a light soup. Add hot water if it is any thicker.
25 minStep 3: Meanwhile put 10 ½ oz long-grain rice and 2 ½ cups water in a heavy pan with a tight lid. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then cover, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes; the grains should be separate and the surface pitted with small steam holes.
22 minStep 4: For the tarkari, heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke, so the raw, sharp edge cooks out. Take the pan off the heat for a few seconds, then add 1 tsp cumin seeds; they should sizzle and darken within 10 seconds.
3 minStep 5: Return to a medium heat, add 1 onion and 3 garlic cloves and fry for 4 minutes, until the onion is soft and pale gold.
4 minStep 6: Add 14 oz potatoes, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp chilli powder and 1 tsp salt and toss for 3 minutes, until every cube is yellow and the spices smell toasty, not raw.
3 minStep 7: Add 14 oz cauliflower and 1 tomato, stir, cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until a knife slides easily into the potato and the cauliflower edges are lightly browned. The tarkari should be dry, with no sauce pooling in the pan. Stir in ⅓ oz fresh coriander.
15 minStep 8: Just before serving, heat 2 tbsp ghee in a small pan over a medium-high heat. Add 1 dried red chilli and let it puff and darken for a few seconds, then add 1 tsp jimbu (dried Himalayan allium) and fry for about 10 seconds, until it turns a shade darker and smells strongly of garlic and onion. Pour it straight into the dal (it will hiss), stir once and cover the pan.
1 minStep 9: Serve on large plates or a steel thali: a mound of rice in the middle, dal in a bowl to pour over, the tarkari, 4 tbsp stir-fried mustard greens (saag) and a spoonful of 4 tbsp golbheda ko achar (Nepali tomato achar) around the edge, with 4 lime wedges to squeeze. Refill the dal and rice as people eat; that is the Nepali way.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 88 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dal bhat take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of split red lentils (musuro dal)?
- Yellow split peas (soak 2 hours and cook longer).
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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