Dahl; isn’t it just lentil soup?

[JustJoel]

I did a search in this forum for “dhal” and didn’t come up with a thread that addresses my main question: isn’t dahl just lentil soup flavored with Indian spices. I know the cooking process is a bit different than it is for Western soups, but otherwise, can I just skip the recipes, use whatever lentil or legume that’s available to me, and make my dahl? I’m not feeding anyone from the sub-continent, and I’m not planning on opening an Indian restaurant anytime soon (lol), so I’m not really concerned about authenticity, just if it tastes good to me!

 

[Rocklobster]

Basically, yes..

 

[Andy M.]

Yes, but...

Dahl is both the name of the main ingredient and the resulting soup. Most often it's lentils. If you want to make a dahl recipe and just switch out the lentil/bean, go ahead and do it.

However, if you plan on making other changes keep in mind that at some point it stops being dahl (which suggests an Indian dish) and becomes just another lentil/bean soup.

 

[larry_stewart]

Is Dahl typically made from a specific kind of lentil? or are there as many different varieties as there are varieties of lentils? When I go to the Indian market, there is literally a whole aisle just for lentils , all different colors and sizes.

 

[Rocklobster]

Is Dahl typically made from a specific kind of lentil? or are there as many different varieties as there are varieties of lentils? When I go to the Indian market, there is literally a whole aisle just for lentils , all different colors and sizes.

Dal is a term for many different types of pulses..having dal is like saying I am having beans...that could mean a lot of things


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal

 

[jennyema]

Dahl also isn't always soupy.

 

[Kitchen Barbarian]

Toor dal is the dal I use most often for the dish, "dal". It's split pigeon peas.

There are also the following types of dals (also called gram):

mung dal (split mung beans)
Masoor dal (the little pinkish-reddish lentils you can find in any health food section)
Rajma dal which is not a lentil at all, it is kidney beans
Horse gram - don't have a European name for this. It's a dryland crop.
urad dal = black gram - this is what they use to make dal makhni
Chana dal = bengal gram = a small variety of chickpeas with a dark skin
Kabuli chana which is the more familiar to us in the USA type of chickpea

The thing about subbing in 'mercan style lentils is that they are nearly always whole while the vast majority of Indian dal recipes use split and skinned lentils. If you want to sub in whole lentils, use an Indian recipe that starts off with whole lentils.

 

[Mad Cook]

I have, on occasions of necessity, made dhal with Puy lentils. (All in the interests of cosmopolitanism, don'cha know.)

 

[CraigC]

Toor dal is the dal I use most often for the dish, "dal". It's split pigeon peas.

There are also the following types of dals (also called gram):

mung dal (split mung beans)
Masoor dal (the little pinkish-reddish lentils you can find in any health food section)
Rajma dal which is not a lentil at all, it is kidney beans
Horse gram - don't have a European name for this. It's a dryland crop.
urad dal = black gram - this is what they use to make dal makhni
Chana dal = bengal gram = a small variety of chickpeas with a dark skin
Kabuli chana which is the more familiar to us in the USA type of chickpea

The thing about subbing in 'mercan style lentils is that they are nearly always whole while the vast majority of Indian dal recipes use split and skinned lentils. If you want to sub in whole lentils, use an Indian recipe that starts off with whole lentils.

What are (and I'll use the correct name) "American Style" lentils, just ones that aren't split?