Lunch · Sakhree
Tuvar ji Poath
Pigeon pea (toor dal) curry
A light, thin, tangy (khatto) and mildly spiced toor dal curry made with tomato and dried kokum flowers, mashed lightly, and finished with a ghee tempering of fenugreek, cumin and mustard seeds. A classic, comforting Thathai Bhatia lentil curry.
Ingredients
Make
Measure in
Cups are shown in grams or ml; spoons stay as spoons. Panja Khada’s own weights are used where they give them (1 cup of flour is 150 g, rice or dal 200 g, curd 225 g, milk or water 240 ml), and standard kitchen weights otherwise.
For the lentil base
For the tempering (vaghar)
For the garnish
Method
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Wash the dal and soak it for about . Drain, then cook it in a deep pan with 1 cup of water on a medium flame until tender.
Lower the heat. Add half of the chopped tomato, the ½ tbsp ghee and the asafoetida. Cover and simmer on low heat (or on a tawa — flat griddle) for .
Take the pan off the heat and mash the dal lightly. Gradually stir in about 2 cups of water until the curry is thin and flowing.
Return to a medium flame. Add the remaining tomato, salt, turmeric, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and kokum flowers. Cover and cook for , stirring now and then.
Optional. Add the jaggery during the last boil for a slight sweetness.
For the vaghar. Heat the ghee in a small pan on a medium flame. Add the fenugreek, cumin and mustard seeds along with the dried red chilli and let them splutter. Add the asafoetida, switch off the heat, and pour the tempering over the curry.
Give the curry a final 5-minute boil, garnish with coriander and serve hot.
My notes
Your family’s way with this recipe, or a reminder for next time. Kept on this phone or computer, and shown in cook mode.
Tips and variations
Avoid over-mashing the dal — a slightly coarse texture is better. Add a little jaggery if the kokum tang feels too sharp. A tawa under the pan gives a gentle, even simmer.
Serve with
Traditionally served with steamed rice (choka); also works with simple flatbreads. A staple of Thathai Bhatia households, eaten as an everyday meal.
Recipes mentioned here
Nutrition
EstimatedPer serving
400 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbohydrate
- 67 g
- Fat
- 6 g
The recipe serves 4.
Whole recipe
1,580 kcal
- Protein
- 90 g
- Carbohydrate
- 266 g
- Fat
- 22 g
Everything in the ingredients list.
These are estimates, worked out from the amounts in the recipe and typical values for each ingredient. Portion sizes and the exact amount of oil, ghee or sugar can change them a lot. How we estimate
Good to know
Storage
Refrigerate 2–3 days; reheat with a little water; flavour deepens overnight.
About this dishDid you know?
Did you know?
Toor dal is among the most widely eaten lentils in Indian cooking; kokum gives a tang different from lemon- or tamarind-based dals.
Where this recipe comes from
Recipe from Panja Khada by Bharat and Deepa Chachara.
See the original recipe and photos