Dal bhat tarkari

Name: Dal bhat tarkari
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 plates
Cuisine: Nepali
Ingredients: 250 g Lentils, whole black lentils (kalo dal / urad), soaked 1 hour; or brown lentils; 1 l Water; 1 tsp Turmeric; 15 g Ginger, grated; 2 tbsp Ghee; 0.5 tsp Fenugreek, seeds; 4 clove Garlic, sliced; 1 tsp Chilli flakes, or 2 dried red chillies; 1.5 tsp Salt; 400 g Potato, peeled, 2 cm dice; 400 g Cauliflower, small florets; 2 medium Tomato, chopped; 1 medium Onion, sliced; 3 tbsp Mustard oil; 1 tsp Cumin, seeds; 0.5 tsp Turmeric; 1 tsp Coriander, ground; 2 piece Fresh chilli, green, slit; 0.5 tsp Garam masala; 1 tsp Salt; 1 handful Coriander, leaves, chopped; 400 g Rice, long grain, rinsed; 600 ml Water

दाल भात तरकारी

The Nepali daily plate: black lentil dal with a jimbu and ghee temper, steamed rice, and a dry potato and cauliflower tarkari.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: दाल भात तरकारी.

Start cooking

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr
Rest: None
Total: 1 hr 20 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild
Cost: Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Dal bhat tarkari is three things on one plate. The dal here is whole black lentils cooked soft with turmeric and ginger, then finished with a temper of ghee, fenugreek seeds, garlic and dried chilli. The tarkari is a dry curry of potato and cauliflower cooked in mustard oil with cumin, turmeric and tomato until the edges catch. Bhat is plain steamed rice, and there is plenty of it. A spoon of aloo ko achar or a pickle on the side finishes it. The dal is poured over the rice; the tarkari is eaten in bites alongside.

What you'll need

23 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 23 ready

4 servings

Dal
Tarkari
Bhat

Ingredients

Servings

Dal

Lentils, whole black lentils (kalo dal / urad), soaked 1 hour; or brown lentils250 g
Water1 l
Turmeric4.9 ml
Ginger, grated15 g
Ghee30 ml
Fenugreek, seeds2½ ml
Garlic, sliced4 clove
Chilli flakes, or 2 dried red chillies4.9 ml
Salt7.4 ml

Tarkari

Potato, peeled, 2 cm dice400 g
Cauliflower, small florets400 g
Tomato, chopped2 medium
Onion, sliced1 medium
Mustard oil44 ml
Cumin, seeds4.9 ml
Turmeric2½ ml
Coriander, ground4.9 ml
Fresh chilli, green, slit2
Garam masala2½ ml
Salt4.9 ml
Coriander, leaves, chopped1 handful

Bhat

Rice, long grain, rinsed400 g
Water600 ml

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Drain the lentils. Cook with the litre of water, turmeric and ginger in a pressure cooker 20 minutes at high pressure, or simmer in a pan 50 to 60 minutes, until soft and breaking down. Season with salt and whisk briefly to thicken.
25 min
Step 2
Cook the rice: bring rice and 600 ml water to a boil, cover, cook on the lowest heat 12 minutes, rest 10 minutes off the heat. Or use a rice cooker.
25 min
Step 3
For the tarkari, heat the mustard oil in a wide pan until it just smokes, then let it cool 30 seconds. Add cumin seeds, then onion, and fry 5 minutes. Add turmeric, ground coriander, potato and salt. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring twice.
17 min
Tip: Heating mustard oil to smoking tames its raw pungency. Open a window.
Step 4
Add cauliflower, tomato and green chilli. Cover and cook 12 to 15 minutes more until everything is tender and the tomato has broken down into a coating rather than a sauce. Finish with garam masala and coriander leaves.
15 min
Step 5
Temper the dal: heat the ghee in a small pan, add fenugreek seeds and let them darken, then garlic until golden, then chilli flakes for 5 seconds. Pour over the dal.
3 min
Watch: Fenugreek goes bitter if it blackens. Dark brown is the limit.
Step 6
Serve a mound of rice with dal poured over one side, tarkari on the other, and achar or pickle at the edge.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 513 kcal
Protein: 15.8 g
Carbs: 74.2 g
Fat: 17.6 g
Saturated fat: 5.4 g
Fibre: 11.4 g
Sugar: 8 g
Sodium: 2107 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Milk

Vegetarian
Gluten-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Cauliflower and potato → Green beans, pumpkin, spinach or whatever is in season
Tarkari means vegetable curry. The spicing stays the same.
Ghee → Mustard oil
Vegan and still Nepali. Smoke it first as in step 3.

Tips

Whole black lentils give the Nepali flavour. Split red lentils are faster and also common; cook 20 minutes without soaking.
The tarkari should be dry. If it is swimming, uncover and cook off the liquid.

History & culture

Most Nepalis eat dal bhat twice a day, at mid-morning and in the evening. It is what trekking lodges serve with unlimited refills, what the army cooks and what every home table looks like. Dal bhat power, 24 hour is a national joke with some truth in it.

Rice and lentils have fed the Himalayan foothills for a very long time; the hill version used millet or buckwheat where rice would not grow. Mustard oil, fenugreek temper and jimbu, a Himalayan allium, mark it off from the Indian thali it resembles. The tarkari changes with whatever is in season.

Traditional — Jimbu, the dried Himalayan herb usually fried into the dal temper, is hard to find abroad and is left out here. Fenugreek seeds and garlic carry the temper on their own. Swap ghee for oil and it is vegan.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Dal bhat tarkari take?

1 hr 20 min all in — 20 min prep, 1 hr cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

Mild.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Nut-free.

7 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Pressure cooker, Saucepan, Frying pan, Rice cooker.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.

What can I use instead?

Cauliflower and potato → Green beans, pumpkin, spinach or whatever is in season. Tarkari means vegetable curry. The spicing stays the same. Ghee → Mustard oil. Vegan and still Nepali. Smoke it first as in step 3.

What should I watch for?

Fenugreek goes bitter if it blackens. Dark brown is the limit.

Any tips from this recipe?

Whole black lentils give the Nepali flavour. Split red lentils are faster and also common; cook 20 minutes without soaking. The tarkari should be dry. If it is swimming, uncover and cook off the liquid.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.