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    Home » Lentils & Legumes » Hyderabadi Khatti Dal

    Hyderabadi Khatti Dal | Instant Pot Recipe

    Published: Oct 19, 2021 by Pavani · 15 Comments

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    Hyderabadi Khatti Dal is a hearty and comforting lentil dish. It is tangy and absolutely delicious with the addition of tomatoes & tamarind.

    I make this dal in the Instant pot and it is perfect to serve with rice or roti. It is also a part of my Hyderabadi thali along with veg biryani and mirchi baingan salan.

    Copper bowl of Instant pot dal

    Table of contents

    • About the Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Expert Tips
    • You might also like
    • Recipe Card

    About the Recipe

    I make dal or some kind of a lentil/ legume dishes, almost every day. Both my kids love dal and they can eat it almost every day. If I ever ask them what they want to eat for lunch, they'll definitely say rice and dal. I happily oblige and make them what they want -- little do they know that was on the menu to begin with 🙂

    This Hyderabadi khatti dal is a hearty and comforting dish. It is basically Hyderabadi version of good old tomato dal.

    The word 'khatti' means sour in hindi. So the sourness in this dish comes from tomatoes and tamarind. A nice dose of these 2 ingredients gives the dish a yummy tangy/ sour taste, hence the name 'khatti' dal.

    The spices, ginger and garlic balance the sour flavor beautifully. It is simple and delicious dish with tons of flavor. Serve with plain white/ brown rice or roti or paratha. Add a vegetable side dish for a delicious meal.

    Steel bowl with lentil stew topped with tadka

    Ingredients

    For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

    Here are the ingredients needed to make this Khatti daal:

    • Toor dal or split pigeon lentils - available in Indian or most Asian groceries or International aisle of supermarkets.
    • Tomatoes - fresh tomatoes are the best to use in the recipe. But you can also use canned diced tomatoes.
    • Tamarind
    • Ginger, garlic and green chilies
    • Spices - ground coriander, red chili powder, turmeric and salt
    • Tadka/ tempering - mustard & cumin seeds, dry red chilies and hing
    Ingredients needed - details in recipe card

    Instructions

    For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

    Here is how to make Hyderabadi khatti dal recipe:

    Soak toor dal for at least 1 hour. Drain well .Combine soaked dal along with the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, turmeric and water in a pressure cooker. Mix well and cook for 4~6 whistles or until dal is very tender.

    Alternately cook in an Instant Pot for 8~10 minutes on High Pressure.

    Cooking toor dal in Instant Pot

    Once the pressure comes down, open the lid and whisk the dal until smooth. Add tamarind pulp, green chilies, ground coriander, red chili powder and salt. If the mixture looks too thick, add more water. Mix well and cook on medium flame for 4~5 minutes.

    Adding tamarind and green chilies to the dal

    Heat a small pan on medium heat. Add ghee and once it melts, add mustard & cumin seeds, dry red chilies and cook until the seeds start to splutter.

    Adding tempering - details in recipe card

    Stir in hing and curry leaves and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour the tempering over the dal and mix well. Serve hot with rice or roti.

    Copper bowl with khatti dal

    Expert Tips

    • I recommend using fresh tomatoes for the best flavor in this khatti dal. But if you don't have any fresh ones on hand, then feel free to use canned diced tomatoes.
    • You can make this dal in Instant pot or a regular pressure cooker. Recipe card has instructions for both. But if you want to make this on the stove top, then combine the ingredients in a medium size saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and simmer until lentils are very tender. This might take about 30 minutes.
    • Leftover dal can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
    • Sourness of tamarind varies from batch to batch. So adjust the amount in the recipe accordingly.

    You might also like

    Here are a few more vegetarian Hyderabadi dishes that you might like:

    • Bagara Baingan Recipe | Hyderabadi Baby Eggplant Curry
    • Qabooli Biryani (Hyderabadi Chana dal Biryani)
    • How to make Instant Pot Veg Haleem | Video Recipe
    copper bowl with Hyderabadi Khatti dal

    Recipe Card

    Top view of Hyderabadi lentil stew topped with tadka

    Hyderabadi Khatti Dal

    Hyderabadi Khatti Dal is a hearty and comforting dish that is great to serve with rice or roti. It is tangy with the addition of tomatoes & tamarind.
    Author: Pavani
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Total Time: 40 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: andhra, hyderabadi, south indian
    Servings: 6 Servings

    Ingredients

    For Dal:

    • ½ cup Toor dal, rinsed and drained
    • 1½ cups Water, plus more if needed
    • 1 Medium Tomatoes, finely chopped
    • 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
    • 1" piece Ginger, finely grated
    • 1~2 tablespoons Tamarind pulp
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
    • 1~2 Green Chilies, finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
    • 1 teaspoon Red Chili powder
    • To taste Salt
    • 2 tablespoons Cilantro, finely chopped

    For Tempering:

    • 1 tablespoon Ghee
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
    • 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
    • 3~4 Dry Red Chilies, broken
    • ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida (hing)
    • 6~8 Curry leaves

    Instructions

    Make Dal:

    • Soak toor dal for at least 1 hour. Drain well.
      Combine soaked dal along with the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, turmeric and water in a pressure cooker. Mix well and cook for 4~6 whistles or until dal is very tender. Alternately cook in an Instant Pot for 8~10 minutes on High Pressure.
    • Once the pressure comes down, open the lid and whisk the dal until smooth. Add tamarind pulp, green chilies, ground coriander, red chili powder and salt. If the mixture looks too thick, add more water. Mix well and cook on medium flame for 4~5 minutes.

    Make Tempering:

    • Heat a small pan on medium heat. Add ghee and once it melts, add mustard & cumin seeds, dry red chilies and cook until the seeds start to splutter. Stir in hing and curry leaves and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour the tempering over the dal and mix well. Serve hot with rice or roti.

    Notes

    • I recommend using fresh tomatoes for the best flavor in this khatti dal. But if you don't have any fresh ones on hand, then feel free to use canned diced tomatoes.
    • You can make this dal in Instant pot or a regular pressure cooker. Recipe card has instructions for both. But if you want to make this on the stove top, then combine the ingredients in a medium size saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and simmer until lentils are very tender. This might take about 30 minutes.
    • Leftover dal can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
    • Sourness of tamarind varies from batch to batch. So adjust the amount added to the recipe accordingly.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 421IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cooks_hideout or tag #cookshideout!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Priya Suresh

      May 25, 2017 at 11:28 am

      Lipsmacking here, Khatti dal is just irresistible and very tempting as well.

      Reply
    2. Vaishali

      May 28, 2017 at 12:53 pm

      Love that spread , very well served and I love this Daal , though I had given it a twist when I made it . Awesome !

      Reply
    3. Zerin

      May 29, 2017 at 1:30 am

      What a nicely put together tray of food. Everything looks lip smackingly good.

      Reply
    4. Gayathri Kumar

      May 29, 2017 at 2:42 am

      The dal sounds so yum with all the tamarind and tomatoes, and your spread looks super inviting..

      Reply
    5. PJ

      May 31, 2017 at 5:34 am

      That is one elaborate meal you have there Pavani! So good! And the dal sure sounds delicious.

      Reply
    6. Anlet prince - Annslittlecorner

      June 01, 2017 at 7:26 am

      True this is a comforting and hearty meal

      Reply
    7. Nalini

      June 01, 2017 at 6:07 pm

      Dhal sounds interesting and this is one such comforting food..

      Reply
    8. Harini

      June 06, 2017 at 4:32 pm

      A comforting dal indeed. I love dal with a nice dose of tangy flavor. So this one is ideal for me !

      Reply
    9. Sharmila - The Happie Friends Potpourri Corner

      June 09, 2017 at 4:54 am

      Such a comfort food!!

      Reply
    10. Chef Mireille

      June 12, 2017 at 2:20 pm

      this tangy dal must be delicious

      Reply
    11. Kalyani

      June 13, 2017 at 1:46 am

      lovely spread there, Pavani ! my eyes are drawn to the biryani too 🙂

      Reply
    12. Srivalli

      June 13, 2017 at 4:49 am

      Fantastic dal Pavani..and your spread is so inviting...

      Reply
    13. Sapna

      July 03, 2017 at 4:18 pm

      Very inviting looking dal. It looks super tempting.

      Reply
    14. Saarah

      January 26, 2021 at 7:56 am

      5 stars
      How much water are you adding with 1 cup dal?

      Reply
      • cookshideout

        January 26, 2021 at 8:57 am

        Hi Saarah, I use about 3 cups of water to cook the dal. You can add more if dal seems thick after cooking. Hope this helps. Thank you

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Pavani! the cook in this hideout. Cook's Hideout is all about delicious vegetarian dishes from India and also from around the world. Here you will find recipes that are easy AND tasty to make.

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