A homemade version of Dhaba Dal, a creamy, flavorful dal served at north Indian roadside cafes. Chana dal, urad dal and rajma or red kidney beans along with a few simple spices make this dal both nourishing and delicious!
Dhabas are north India's greasy spoons-- roadside shacks that dot dust-smothered highways and cater mostly to weary truckers who pull in for a hearty, hot meal before heading over to the gas station next door. Outside each dhaba are rows of charpoys, small Indian cots, where the truckers can nap awhile under the open sky.
If you've eaten at an Indian restaurant anywhere in the world, chances are you've already eaten a dish or two usually served by these unglamourous eateries: chana masala, aloo matar, and a creamy, deceptively indulgent dal that's simply known as dhabe wali dal or dhabe ki daal.
The dal is truly special: it has lots of flavor and texture from a few spices and three varieties of legumes that make it up. Its smooth, creamy, indulgent texture belies just how healthy this dal, made right, can actually be.
Like another famous north Indian dal, Dal Makhani, Dhabe ki Dal is not vegan. Many dhaba style dishes have oodles of butter and this dal is no different. The butter gives the dal a satiny finish and a well-rounded mouth feel.
Because the butter plays such a crucial role, I add some vegan butter to round off the dish and mellow out the richness of the spices.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this dhaba dal
- Creamy and mild. If spicy Indian food isn't your thing, this dhaba dal is the dal for you. It is neither hot nor is it overwhelming.
- A feast for all senses. The aroma of this dal will bring everyone to the table. It's like turning your home into an Indian restaurant without the restaurant prices.
- Easy recipe. This is a simple recipe, easy for nearly any cook to master, and once you have the lentils cooked and ready to go it comes together in minutes.
- Soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- Legumes: Chana dal (Bengal gram dal or split chickpeas), urad dal (black gram dal) and rajma (kidney beans).
- Spices: ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne or paprika, turmeric and garam masala.
- Herbs: ginger-garlic paste, kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and cilantro.
- Vegetables: onions and tomatoes.
- Oils: avocado oil or any oil of choice and vegan butter.
How to make dhaba dal
Place the chana dal, urad dal and rajma in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover the legumes by two inches. Add ¼th of a teaspoon of turmeric. Pressure cook or cook in Instant Pot or saucepan over stovetop until the legumes are very tender. Set aside.
Place the oil in a Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.
Add the onions to the pot and saute until the onions begin to brown.
Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until tomatoes are very soft and have broken down in a pulp.
Add the spices to the onions and tomatoes: ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne and remaining ¼th teaspoon turmeric.
Crush the kasoori methi in the palms of your hands and add to the pot. Mix well.
Add the cooked lentils to the pot along with any cooking water and mix. Remove half the lentils to a blender and carefully blend until smooth.
Return the blended lentils to the pot and mix. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let the dal simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add more water if the dal is too thick. Add salt to taste.
Stir in the garam masala and vegan butter.
Cook the dal for another couple of minutes, check for salt and add more if needed, then turn off heat. Serve hot.
Top Tip
Soak the rajma beans or kidney beans in hot water for an hour or two. The beans take longer to cook than lentils and pre-soaking the beans will ensure that they get tender at the same time as the smaller lentils.
Serving suggestions
- With a spicy veggie, like baingan bharta or bhindi masala.
- With jeera rice and/or vegan naan.
- With a tall, cooling glass of Vegan Mango Lassi.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate the dhaba dal in an airtight container for up to four days.
- Freeze: The dal can be frozen for up to three months.
- Reheat: Reheat the dal in a saucepan or in the microwave until warmed through. Add more water if needed. Always check and add more salt if needed after adding water.
More vegan Indian dal recipes
Recipe card
Dhaba Dal
Ingredients
- ½ cup chana dal
- ½ cup urad dal
- ½ cup rajma (red kidney beans)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (divided)
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (or any oil of choice. To make the dal oil-free saute the ginger-garlic and onions in ¼ cup water or vegetable stock).
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 tomatoes (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (Use less or more per your taste, or sub with paprika).
- 2 tablespoons kasoori methi (crushed in the palms of your hands)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the chana dal, urad dal and rajma in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover the legumes by two inches. Add ¼th of a teaspoon of turmeric. Pressure cook or cook in Instant Pot or saucepan over stovetop until the legumes are very tender. Set aside. (Presoaking the rajma in hot water for an hour or two before cooking with the lentils ensures the legumes cook together perfectly).
- Place the oil in a Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add the onions to the pot and saute until the onions begin to brown.
- Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until tomatoes are very soft and have broken down in a pulp.
- Add the spices to the onions and tomatoes: ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne and remaining ¼th teaspoon turmeric. Crush the kasoori methi in the palms of your hands and add to the pot. Mix well.
- Add the cooked lentils to the pot along with 2 cups of cooking water (or just water) and mix. Remove half the lentils to a blender and carefully blend until smooth.
- Return the blended lentils to the pot and mix. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let the dal simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add more water if the dal is too thick. Add salt to taste.
- Stir in the garam masala and vegan butter. Cook the dal for another couple of minutes, check for salt and add more if needed, then turn off heat. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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Love this dhaba style dal? Check out more Indian vegan recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!
Kay says
Omg this was incredible! I love all of your recipes. If you ever come out with a cookbook, I kost definitely would buy it!
Lina Prema says
Hi Vaishili,
Lina from Sesto San Giovanni, Milano, Italy
I've done many of your recipes. I love India since I discovered it in 1980. But, love apart for anything in the Country, today I prepared this delicious food. I have a full drawer of spices, it's about a 90x60 cm drawer. And I can prepare any kind of food.
The dal was excellent, with plain rice. No sald added, used parsley insted of fresh coriander. it has been a success.
Thank you for posting your recipes.
We have been vegetarian from 1984 when nobody knew about this healthy way of taking food. (it happened that in 1980 we had our first trip to India, and then, anything changed in our life). than after some periode of vegetarian and vegan we turned full vegan in 2023. I have a background of cooking. It's something in my soul. I can cook with water, ;-)))), even if the fridge has only two ingredients.
Congratulation Vaishili for your excellent blog.
Kisses and hugs from Italy.
Lina
Vaishali says
Hi Lina, thanks for your lovely message. It's great to meet someone else that loves cooking so much, and it sounds like you have the gift. I am so happy you enjoyed the dal. ❤️
Annapurneshwari says
#7 says stir in garam masala but there’s no garam masala in the ingredients. Or is it supposed to be kasoori methi?
Vaishali says
Stir in the garam masala in step 7--you need a teaspoon of it. Thanks!
Rhonda says
Is there any other way that I could make Dhaba Dal, as I don't own a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot?
Vaishali says
Rhonda, you can cook the lentils on the stovetop. It will take much longer, but it absolutely can be done. Soak the lentils and beans overnight and then place in a saucepan covered by at least an inch of water. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, and let the legumes simmer until tender. It will take at least an hour or possibly more. Because the kidney beans take longer to cook, you might be better off using canned kidney beans and adding them to the pot while making the dal along with the cooked lentils.
Janae Stephens says
Can we sub dried garbanzo beans and green lentils for the chana and Urad dal?
Vaishali says
Hi Janae, the lentils are picked for their specific flavor and texture, which contribute to the overall flavor and texture of the dal. Subbing with dried garbanzo beans for the chana dal would change the texture and taste. But if that's all you have, go ahead. It won't taste the same but it will still be delicious.
Vince says
Another outstanding recipe. Vaishali you always deliver! This is my go-to site for awesome vegetarian food.
Vaishali says
Awesome! Thanks for the kind words ❤️
Tanaji Rohidas Gaikwad says
Thanks for this excellent recipe
Sanajy Mishra says
Thanks for this excellent recipe, we all enjoyed this currie . first time i used kasoori methi in it. and now I used it in many other recipes as well.
Gagan Mahotra says
I Love To Eat at Dhabha.
I Love The Dhaba Food, & Snap Of Your daal Reminds Me The Dhaba & My Friends.
Really It is Looking Like Daal i ate at Dhaba.
jodye @ chocolate and chou fleur says
This sounds like such a wonderful daal! I must make this soon, as I've been craving something hearty and warming, despite the hot weather.
Mel says
It looks like such a delicious dal! This dal lover will definitely give it a try soon.
Mel says
Thanks for this fantastic recipe, we all loved it! My son doesn't always like curries but he really enjoyed this. I adored the kasoori methi in it which I haven't used in many recipes previously.
One question about the udad dal you used, is that the whole black lentils or split black lentils? I used whole black lentils and the dal turned out much darker than your photos so I was curious to know.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Mel, I used the split white lentils, although the ones with the black skin on are good too-- in fact, the dhabas usually use the dal with the skin on, so you'd be closer to the original. 🙂 Happy you and your family liked it.
Priya Suresh says
Thick dal makes me drool, looks fabulous and highly nutritious.
ajinkyapawarpune says
amazing true dhaba experience
Swati Sapna says
Who doesnt love Dhabey ki Dal? And of course you are right, its just not the same without a good helping of butter to round of the spices 😀
My favorite roadside dhaba dal, though, is the Dal Tadka made with toor dal, lots of jeera and garlic, and dried red chillies. Yumm!
Nupur says
Oh Vaishali- how perfectly delicious! I'm so excited that you'll be sending this in to MLLA! Eagerly awaiting your e-mail.
Chitz says
Ahh.. Love this anytime.. Such a comfort food it is with hot phulkas 🙂
Nivedhanams Sowmya says
Can we use the broken white dal also? And yes this looks so comforting and so tempting...Sowmya
Vaishali Honawar says
Sure, Sowmya. Broke dal would be fine.
ammasdtr19 says
You are amazing sister, thank you!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Ash, I mean the regular white dal, although if you have the dal with the black skin on that would work too-- in fact I think that's more authentic but I didn't have it on hand. Thanks so much for helping with the reader question-- you rock!
Ashwini Deshpande says
I love the dhaba style Dal.. By Udad dal, do you mean the white or the black dal???? I may try this this weekend with Black udad dal, which I have on hand. About the whistles, I do use the Indian cooker that whistles, for Rajma and Black Udad Dal for makhani, I go for 3-4 whistles on medium and then 5 mins on the lowest mark. I have gas stove so this works for me. I also need to pre soak the lentils.
Love Ash.
Sangita Kalarickal says
Am so trying this tonight! Love the mixture of dals, its really healthy...protein, fiber, everything!Also thanks for the quick soak method, I always decide my menu at teh last minute and this is a great trick!
Melina says
Ohhhhhh this looks soooo good. I'm just trying to figure out what the dals (lentils?) might be called here (I live in Greece). It must be annoying to have people ask for substitutions all the time but would regular lentils do? We have green and yellow here, we also have split peas (yellow or green) here also that look a bit like the chala dal. Maybe some time (when you have loads of free time lol) you could write a post on the various legumes with some pics 😀
Vaishali Honawar says
Melina, if you can't find chana or udad dal use the yellow lentils and the kidney beans, if you can find them, or even pinto beans. The Dal will have a different texture and slightly different flavor, but it will still be delicious.
Melina says
Thank you for the response! I will definitely try with the yellow lentils and kidney beans.
Kamini says
Oh gosh, I love any dhaba food. The flavor is unbeatable and unique. Have stopped many a time at these roadside eateries and come away stuffed. Have tried unsuccessfully to recreate many of the recipes at home, but they never quite have that same flavor. Will give this a try for sure. I'm a dal-phile, so I'm sure it will be amazing. Thanks V.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Kamini, from one dal-phile to another, hope you try it!
Pavani N says
That's a delicious dal. I would love to try it soon.
Anonymous says
So if preparing daal in pressure cooker for how many whistles we should cook it? And how much of water we should add?
Vaishali Honawar says
I use a Fagor pressure cooker which doesn't "whistle" so I am afraid I can't answer that question. In my cooker I usually cook the dal, unsoaked, for about 8 minutes on a high pressure setting. Maybe a reader who uses one of the cookers that "whistles" can help?
Manasi says
Oh I love dhabey ki daal. I was lucky to taste it a few times when I was traveling thru Punjab. Huge vats of daal are empty after lunch, a feat I would have thought impossible, until I saw it with my eyes!
I bet, making this in a slow cooker will also taste FAB! Will try it, but with makhhan!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Manasi, sounds like such a lovely experience! One warning about cooking dal in a slow-cooker-- it never seems to quite get done. The dal remains hard instead of turning mushy. Have you had better luck?