Love Dal? Then try this khatti meethi, the sweet and sour dal from Gujarat made with split pigeon peas or toor dal. Here is the simple Gujarati dal recipe bursting with flavors.

I love rasam and dal, and I can’t get enough of rasam and dal. Rice and Rasam or Rice and dal both are a heavenly and comforting combo. Given the fact that I can prepare them quickly, I always look out for different dal and rasam recipes. Recently I shared Amti dal from Maharashtra, Cholar Dal from Bengal, and Tomato Pappu from Andhra. Also check out recipe for dal tadka with kasoori methi too.

When I tried the Amti dal, I couldn’t source kokum, so I replaced it with tamarind and prepared the dal. But as I started to plan for my Gujarati Thali recipes, I realized that kokum is the main ingredient in the dal and decided to buy it. I found them in my local, Indian grocery store and bought a big pack.

So what’s kokum?

(The picture of kokum is in all my dal images, sorry missed to take one individually. Will update soon).According to Livestrong, Kokum, whose botanical name is Garcinia indica, is an ornamental fruit tree native to India. It is a tiny fruit that turns from red to dark purple as it ripens and is harvested and dried in the spring. The fruit and the dried fruit fall under the “healing spices” category, and it is widely used in Ayurveda. Kokum is used as a souring agent in Goan, Konkani, Maharashtrian, Gujarati, and also in Karnataka cuisine.

Ok, now back to the recipe, surprisingly, I did not prepare this recipe in the Instant Pot. I made this on the stove-top using the pressure cooker. How to Make Gujarati Dal?

Ingredients:

Toor dal – ½ cup
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Water – 2 cups + ¼ cup
Ginger – 1-inch piece
Kokum – 2
Tomato – 1
Red chili powder – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1 strand
Oil – 2 tsps
Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds – ¼ tsp
Dried Red Chili – 1
Hing – ¼ tsp
Cloves – 2
Cinnamon – 1-inch piece
Sugar – 2 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Cilantro – a handful

Prep – Work:

Soak the kokum in ¼ cup of water.

Chop the ginger, cilantro, and tomato.
Wash the toor dal and set aside.

Steps:

Pressure Cooking the Dal:

Pressure cook the washed toor dal by adding 2 cups f water and ¼ tsp of turmeric powder for up to 4 whistles.
Let it cool and mash the dal nicely.

Tempering:

Heat a pan or kadai and add oil.
Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and fenugreek seeds.
As they start to splutter, add the hing, red chili, cloves, cinnamon, curry leaves, and chopped ginger.
Saute for a couple of minutes and then add the tomato.
Cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.

At the stage, add the dal, sugar, salt, red chili powder, and the soaked kokum along with the water.
Mix well and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Finally, add a handful of cilantro and mix it once.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Notes:

I used only two kokum, but for this measure, you could add up to 4 kokum.
Also, I include more sugar than salt. It’s just our preference, and kiddo likes this way.
You can adjust the kokum, sugar, and salt so that the flavors are well balanced or adapt them as per your taste preference.
Instead of soaking the kokum, you can directly add it to the dal and pressure cook along with the dal. That infuses more flavors.

Gujarati Sweet and Sour Dal

So what’s kokum?

Ok, now back to the recipe, surprisingly, I did not prepare this recipe in the Instant Pot. I made this on the stove-top using the pressure cooker. How to Make Gujarati Dal?

📖 Recipe