🍲 Dal fry
Dal fry is a thick, everyday Indian lentil dish: yellow lentils are boiled until soft, then stirred into a fried base of onion, tomato, garlic and spices cooked in ghee. The result is creamy and mildly spiced, with a golden colour from turmeric. It is served with steamed rice or flatbread as part of a simple home meal or a roadside dhaba plate.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g yellow lentils (toor or masoor), rinsed
- 800 ml water
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 green chilli, salt, fresh coriander
Method
- Simmer the lentils with water and turmeric for 25 minutes until soft, then mash lightly.
- Heat the ghee, add the cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Add the onion and fry until golden, then the garlic and chilli for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils, add water to the thickness you like, simmer 5 minutes and finish with coriander.
How to make it lighter
- Use 1 tbsp ghee for the whole pot; each extra tablespoon adds about 120 kcal.
- Fill half the bowl with dal and keep the rice to a small scoop.
- Add spinach or other greens to the pot for more volume at almost no extra calories.
History
Dal fry is a staple of North Indian home cooking and dhaba (roadside eatery) menus, where it sits beside rice and roti on almost every table.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Dal fry and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →