Mixed dal
Preparation Time
3 minutes
Cooking Time
37 minutes
Difficulty Level
easy
Meal Type
Lunch
Serves 4
Key Ingredients
- Toor (arhar) dal
About This Recipe
Mixed dal, also called panchmel dal, is exactly what the name says: several split dals cooked together in one pot, so one bowl carries more texture and taste than a single dal gives. This version uses five: toor, chana, moong, masoor and urad. They sit well together because each cooks into a different texture. The chana dal keeps a little bite, the moong and masoor break down and thicken the pot, the toor gives the body of an everyday dal and the urad melts in for smoothness.
All five dals share one 30-minute soak and one pressure-cooker cycle; the chana dal, the slowest of the five, sets the pace, and the rest are already soft by then. Soaking overnight in the fridge works too if you want to start the night before. Keep the toor and chana as the base and swap the rest for whatever split dals you have; any of the five can be left out and the dal still cooks. The taste is mild, with the garlic, hing and ghee of the tadka on top. More of these dals, and how they are known across India, are on the types of dal page.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Dals
- Toor (arhar) dal — 1/4 cup
- Chana dal (bengal gram dal) — 1/4 cup
- Green moong split (chilka moong dal) — 1/4 cup
- Masoor dal (red lentil) — 0.13 cup
- Urad dal, split white — 0.13 cup
For the cooker
- Water (3.5 cups for the cooker, 1/2 cup hot to thin) — 4 cups
- Turmeric Powder — 1/2 tsp
- Salt — 1 1/2 tsp
Tempering
- Ghee — 2 tbsp
- Cumin Seeds — 1 tsp
- Hing (asafoetida) powder — 1/4 tsp
- Dried red chillies — 2 pieces
- Coriander Powder — 1 tsp
- Garlic, finely chopped — 4 cloves
- Ginger, grated — 1 tsp
To finish
- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped — 2 tbsp
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Serving Suggestions
Serve hot over steamed rice, or with roti and a lemon wedge; a spoon of extra ghee on top is the classic finish. Plain papad, pickle or a salad of onion and cucumber go well beside it. Leftovers keep for up to two days in the fridge; reheat with a splash of water, as the dal thickens as it sits.
Tips for Cooking Mixed dal
Soak all five dals in one bowl, in one go: the 30 minutes is set by the chana dal, and the rest would need less. Do not open the cooker early; the dal finishes softening while the pressure drops on its own. Whisk only after the steam settles, so the broken moong and masoor smooth the pot. The tadka goes in after the whisking, and the hot water only if the dal looks too thick.
Chef’s Note
The texture is the point of the mix: whisk the pot after cooking so the chana dal stays in soft whole pieces while everything else turns smooth; blending would make it a paste. A serving (50 g of the dry mix) comes to about 231 kcal and 11.4 g protein; the dal protein per 100 g comparison shows how each of the five adds up.
Per serving (approx.): 231 kcal, protein 11 g, carbs 26 g, fat 8.7 g, fibre 5.6 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Aug 30, 2026
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