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a top view of the khatti dal in a steel bowl
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5 from 15 votes

Hyderabadi khatti dal

A traditional sour Red lentil recipe from the Hyderabadi Cuisine of India/Pakistan, eaten with rice
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: South Asian
Diet: Halal
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 249kcal
Author: Wajiha

Equipment

Ingredients

For Lentils

  • 1 cup red lentils masoor dal
  • 1 large tomato with the stem removed
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder haldi
  • 2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 4 whole green chilies

Other

  • 2 inch block of dry tamarind or Emli soaked in 1 cup hot water see notes
  • coriander/cilantro for garnish

For Tempered spices or Baghaar

  • 1/2 an onion sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic sliced or chopped
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds rye daana
  • 7 to 8 curry leaves
  • 5 to 6 whole red chilies
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 cup oil or less if you want

Instructions

  • Soak lentils for 30 mins to 1 hr. Discard the water
  • In a pot add lentils and all ingredients for the lentils along with 4 to 5 cups of water.
  • Bring the lentils to a boil, then reduce flame to medium and cover the pot. Do not cover the pot all the way through, leave the lid a little askew. You can also use a pressure cooker for this step
  • After 30 mins or so, use a whisk (or a dal ghotni) to whisk the dal around and make it more uniform. Let the dal simmer on the stove.
  • In a bowl, soak tamarind in hot water for 5 mins. Use a sieve to strain the tamarind to get puply water and remove all the impurities in the sieve. Collect all the water released from it. Add it to the dal.
  • Cook for another 10 mins to cook the tamarind.
  • Turn off flame.

Baghar - Tempering the dal

  • In a pan add oil and all the ingredients for tempered spices. Fry them at medium flame until the onions turn a nice golden brown.
  • Put the tempered mix on top of the dal and let it sizzle.
  • Make sure you get all bits of tempered spices into the dal.
  • Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with steamed rice and papad.

Notes

  • You can also use tamarind paste instead of tamarind blocks. Just mix the paste with water to make a diluted version and add to the dal. I've given standard quantities, but feel free to add more tamarind if you like.
  • Your dal can stay in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • You can freeze your dal for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 878mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g