Phiki dal is one of the easiest recipes that I learned after being away from home and one of the tastiest! Funny how I never tried making dal (lentil soup), which is a very basic dish in every Indian household until I moved far away from home. The only dishes, Of course, I knew the process of making dal but I was usually only the stirrer or veggie cutter whenever I helped Mom in the kitchen.
So the first time I made dal with the pressure cooker's whistle blowing away, alone in my very own kitchen thousands of miles away from home, it was a little nerve-wracking. I was hoping it would turn out okay. It is amusing when I think back about it. Nowadays, I usually make this Phiki dal when I am in a crunch for time since it is quick and easy.
Why you will love this dal?
- It gets done very quickly and can be made in a jiffy, especially helpful when you are in a rush but need a quick meal that is nourishing.
- Needs very few ingredients that are usually found in your pantry.
- Light on the stomach and tastes exceptional , a very satisfying meal when combined with white rice or roti.
Ingredients needed
You will need the following:
- Tuvar dal or split pigeon peas lentils - This dal is especially good for this recipe, although you can use the yellow split moong dal if you don't have the Tuvar dal.
- The only spice used is turmeric, which gives a nice yellow color.
- Green chilies also contribute to the spice and heat factor, use as tolerated.
- Mustard seeds and Cumin for tempering.
- Garlic chopped finely - use while tempering to give a unique flavor to this dish
- Chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves for garnish.
How is Phiki Dal or Phika Dal made?
The main ingredients in the dish are lentils, green chilies, coriander leaves, and garlic. This is called Phiki Dal and Phiki means "mild", the only spice is the green chilies and you can adjust that on how strong you want it to be. Tempering with garlic gives an awesome taste to this dal.
Phiki dal best goes with rice and usually, kids love this combination with a spoon of ghee(clarified butter). It is also a very hearty and healthy dish for growing kids as dal is a good source of protein. If you have never had this combination, would recommend you try this. Some other dals that I would recommend are the moth dal and dal makhni.
Phiki Dal (Phika dal) - Lentil Soup
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups Toor dal
- 3 green chilies Thai
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 big garlic pods finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 cup coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Pressure cook the dal with double the amount of water, turmeric and green chilies.
- When the steam is released, open the pressure cooker.
- Add water to adjust the consistency of the dal and bring to boil.
- Add the chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves.
- Add salt to taste and switch off the flame.
- For Tempering heat vegetable oil, splutter mustard seeds.
- Add cumin and chopped garlic until it browns.
- Mix it with the cooked dal. That's all. Phiki dal is ready to be served.
- Serve with rice or Rotis!
Nutrition
Pin Me!
Yummy!
Thank you! Misabella
I will try this
Thank you Deepa! you will definitely love it !
Yummy! 😀
Thank you Lavs!
Yummy-- will love to have with roti and salad 🥗.. thank you..
Yes that would be the perfect combination!!
Yeah
Very simple and easy recipe...Loved it..Will try this..
Thanks dear, am sure you will love it as well
Looks so yummy. Dal is my all time favourite. But why would you call it a phiki dal
hey Pooja, this dal is really bland and very soothing so I guess it got the name from the word bland in Phiki .Actually my in-laws lived in Pune and they call it phika dal .The only spice is the green chilly and sometimes I go with just a chiily without even cutting so it's really no spice at all ..
I somehow love the simple dals more than too much 'masala' ones and this looks just my type! Lovely!
Yes Mallika, me too especially when you already have a spicy sabji and all you want is a plain dal !Thank you !!
Love your comforting dal!
I like your comment , comforting it is 🙂 Thanks dear
Hi! I am nominating you for the "ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD". Please checkout for the details. Keep Shining! <3
Thank you so much Sneha , am honored and will definitely check it out
Sure.
I haven’t heard of this dish before but all of the ingredients sound tasty together! I love soups in the fall so it’s the perfect time to try this out. Plus, anything I can make in my Instant Pot is a win to me!
This is a very mild and healthy soup rich in protein, hope you love it as much as we do ! Thank you so much for the comment.
I did tried similar lenthil soup in an Indian restaurant here and it taste delicious. So flavorful. One of my favorite vegan soup.
Wonderful to hear that , it is indeed very delicious .The tempering with garlic and cumin gives it a nice flavor as well. Thank you so much for the comment and great review!
What a great sounding recipe. Love all the spices in it. Can't wai to try it.
Thank you so much Larena , this uses very simple spices yet tastes so good! Hope you love it as much as we do.
This is the utmost comfort food I make when I'm in no mood to cook elaborately. The dal looks so delicious.
Many Thanks Lathiya , indeed a very comforting and tasty dal to make in a jiffy .