This page may contain affiliate links. So, I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. Here is a post about the absolutely crave worthy dish called Khatti Daal!
I love Pakistani and Indian food. I recently discovered this dish when my husband presented me the recipe that he had printed off.
This recipe belongs to Momma Shah. 🙂 My husband Steve is a super fan of the Pakistani writer, comedian, broadcaster, and performer Sami Shah, who is now living in Australia. Mr. Shah was kind enough to send over his mum's Khatti Daal recipe. He was even kinder to allow me to publish her amazing recipe here!
What is Khatti Daal?
Khatti Daal originates from the city of Hyderabad, in Southeastern India. Khatti means "sour." Daal refers to either dried peas/lentils/beans OR the dish prepared using these foods. So Khatti Daal translates to sour lentils!
I know what you must be thinking after reading that. I thought the same. However, after making this dish I can shout from the rooftops that I CRAVE KHATTI DAAL/SOUR LENTILS!
The sourness in this recipe comes from lemons. I have read that other Khatti Daal recipes use tamarind to bring about the sour taste. I suspect (but am not sure) that tamarind may be used in the Indian version of this recipe, and lemons in the Pakistani version but I will need to research this further. For now, just trust me that this is SOUR and oh so amazing!
What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Khatti Daal?
Just a few ingredients are needed to make this amazing vegetarian dish. You should be able to find most of these ingredients at your local grocery store. However, some are a bit specialized and you may need to seek out these specialized ingredients at an Indian/Pakistani grocer. I have also linked to Amazon for some of the ingredients for convenience.
Batch 1:
- Yellow split peas
- Red split lentils
- Curry leaves
- Ground cumin
- Turmeric powder
- Red chili powder
- Tomato
Batch 2:
- Lemons
Batch 3:
- Green chilies (I used Thai chilies)
- Fresh coriander
Batch 4 (tarka):
- Vegetable oil
- Dried red chilies
- Garlic
- Mustard seeds
- Whole cumin seeds
- Ginger (I added a bit because I like ginger!)
This may seem like a lot of ingredients. However, if you like Indian/Pakistani food then these are some of the basic building blocks of foods that you will need to create many additional Indian/Pakistani dishes. It's definitely worth investing in these ingredients as they will serve you well! 🙂
The Method To Make Khatti Daal
Honestly the method to make Khatti Daal is quite simple!
- Place all contents of Batch 1 into a large stockpot with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 45 minutes, then liquidize with an immersion blender or potato masher
- Make the tarka by adding Batch 4 ingredients (with exception of the dried red chilies) to some hot oil and stir frying for a bit.
- Add the tarka into the daal and stir.
- Garnish with Batch 3 ingredients!
What is Tarka?
Tarka is a technique in Indian cooking which involves tempering spices in oil. Basically you will briefly stir the spices in some hot oil, and then add the tarka to the daal.
The spices cooked this way add an incredible amount of flavor to daals. Please view this article "What is a Tarka?" from Gospice.co.uk for great information on tarka!
Serving Suggestions 🙂
We decided to serve this delicious daal with some onion paratha and samosas which I purchased from my local Indian/Pakistani store.
Khatti daal is also perfect served with basmati rice!
MAKE THIS KHATTI DAAL!
Above all, I hope I have persuaded you to make this most delicious dish! The flavors will just blow your mind!
And lastly I have to say that the leftovers you will enjoy are just as good or EVEN BETTER the next day!
Thank you Momma Shah and Sami Shah!
A HUGE thank you to Momma Shah for her amazing recipe and Sami Shah for allowing me to share this recipe! I'm forever grateful and look forward to my family enjoying this daal time and time again!
For more information on Mr. Shah please visit his website TheSamiShah.com or follow him on Instagram @samishahdotcom!
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Cachumber - Delicious Indian Salad
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Cheers!
Grace
Khatti Daal
Equipment
- Immersion blender, hand blender, or potato masher
Ingredients
Batch 1
- ½ cup yellow split peas
- ½ cup red split lentils
- 6 curry leaves
- 1 ts ground cumin powder
- 1 ts turmeric powder
- ½ ts red chili powder
- 1 big tomato chopped
Batch 2
- 2 lemons juiced
Batch 3
- 2 green chilies I used Thai chilis
- 2 tablespoon fresh coriander chopped
Batch 4 (Tarka)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 dried red chilies I used Asian chilies
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- ½ ts mustard seeds
- ½ ts cumin seeds
- 6 curry leaves
- 1 ts ginger minced
To Taste
- salt add to taste
Instructions
- Wash the yellow split peas and red split lentils until clear.
- Fill a large pot with 10 cups of water. Put all of Batch 1 into the pot. Bring to the boil, and then simmer partly covered for 45 minutes until the lentils are mushy.
- Liquidize using a hand blender, immersion blender, or potato masher. After blending add salt to taste, and pour the juice of 2 lemons (Batch 2) into it. Broil to the boil, and then put aside.
Now Tarka
- Put 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small frying pan. Once hot add everything from Batch 4 except the red chilies which will be added right at the end. All for barely half a minute.
- Hold the lid of the daal pot in one hand, then pour the tarka content into the daal. Stir well!
Garnish With Batch 3!
- Garnish with the chopped coriander and whole green chilies.
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