Dal’s in Indian Cookery -2( The Various Dals)

Dal’s are an integral part of  Indian Cookery.  In English they are commonly know as Lentils , Pulses or Grams.  For the Indian population these are the main source of protien.  Every region of  India has its own unique recipe for the dals.

Depending on the Dal they are  used whole or split.  They are cooked in various combinations of just plain dal, a mix of dals,with vegetables or with meats. 

Most Dal’s need to be soaked for a few hours before cooking. This reduces the cooking time significantly. Dals are vegetable protiens and our bodies take a longer time to break them down.  Thus over indulgence is the dals might result in flatulence.

The  Dals used in Indian Cooking are:

• Urad Dal
• Toor Dal
• Moong Dal
• Masoor Dal
• Rajma
• Channa
• Kulthi (horse gram)
• Math (moth bean)
• Lobia ( cow pea)
• Chori Dal ( Adzuki beans)