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    Home » Dal » Nepali Dal Bhat

    Nepali Dal Bhat Recipe | Red Lentil Dal

    Published: Sep 16, 2014 · Modified: Mar 4, 2020 by Pavani · 21 Comments

    571 shares
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    Nepali Dal Bhat is the national dish of Nepal. It is simple everyday dal served with rice - a comforting and delicious dish to serve any time of the day.

    White bowl with Nepali dal bhat

    There is nothing more than comforting than a bowl of lentils aka dal with rice. That is my go-to meal when I am running low in time or under the weather. It is a quick and easy meal that is filling and hearty.

    Nepali National Dish:

    Dal bhat is the national dish of Nepal. It literally means 'lentils with rice' in Hindi. It is a traditional Nepali dish that is made by frequently made by the locals.

    Himalayan trekkers are served this dish by the Sherpa and Tibetan guides. Daal bhat is a filling vegetarian meal that is packed with protein (from the lentils), carbs (from rice), spices.

    White bowl with Nepali dal served with rice

    Ingredients:

    Nepali dal is slightly different from the regular dals I make at home because of the addition of the ground masala powder. The addition of warm spices like cardamom, cloves and cinnamon adds a lot of flavor to the dal and makes it taste spicy and comforting. Recipe is adapted from Sandhya's post:

    Here are the ingredients you need to make this dish:

    • Red Lentils (Masoor Dal)
    • Onion
    • Turmeric and Salt
    • For the Spice powder: Dry red chilies, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander and peppercorns
    Blender with whole spices to make spice powder and a bowl with ground spices
    Step by step photos of cooking red lentils
    Step by step photos of making of Nepali dal

    Instructions:

    • Make the Spice Powder: Grind all the ingredients listed under masala powder into a smooth powder.
    • Cook Lentils: Pressure cook red lentils until soft and mushy. Alternately red lentils can be cooked on the stove top until tender.
    • Heat 2tsp oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onions and cook until they are golden brown. Add the masala powder, mix well and cook for 1~2 minutes.
    • Stir in the cooked dal, turmeric and salt. Add water if the dal looks too thick. Simmer on medium flame for 6~8 minutes.
    • Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve.

    This Nepali dal is often served with tarkari (mixed vegetable curry) for a complete wholesome meal. But if you want to make a vegetarian Nepali thali, check this post out.

    Nepali Dal Bhat

    Nepali Dal Bhat is the national dish of Nepal. It is simple everyday dal served with rice - a comforting and delicious dish to serve any time of the day.
    Author: Pavani
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 45 mins
    Total Time: 1 hr
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: nepalese
    Servings: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    For the Masala Powder:

    • 2 Dry red chilies
    • ½" Cinnamon stick
    • 2 Cloves
    • 2 Cardamom pods
    • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
    • 1½ tsp Coriander seeds
    • 5 ~ 6 Peppercorns

    For Dal:

    • ½ cup Red Lentils/ Masoor Dal
    • 2 tsp Oil
    • 1 Small Onion, finely chopped
    • ¼ tsp Turmeric
    • 2 tbsps Cilantro, finely chopped
    • To taste Salt

    Instructions

    Make the Spice powder:

    • Grind all the ingredients listed under masala powder into a smooth powder.

    Make Dal:

    • Pressure cook red lentils until cooked through and mushy. Alternately red lentils can be cooked on the stove top until tender.
    • Heat oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onions and cook until they are golden brown. Add 1 tbsp masala powder, mix well and cook for 1~2 minutes.
    • Stir in the cooked dal, turmeric and salt. Add water if the dal looks too thick. Simmer on medium flame for 6~8 minutes.
    • Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve with steamed plain rice.

    Notes

    • Make extra spice powder by doubling or tripling the ingredients. Store it in an airtight container for up to 1 month. 
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cooks_hideout or tag #cookshideout!
    Bowl with spicy red lentils

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Varadas Kitchen

      September 16, 2014 at 2:18 pm

      Simple comfort food. Perfect!

      Reply
    2. The Pumpkin Farm

      September 16, 2014 at 4:45 pm

      delicious, masoor dal is all time favorite dal,....anytime of the day

      Reply
    3. vaishali sabnani

      September 16, 2014 at 4:48 pm

      I like these red lentils...they are simple but inviting.

      Reply
    4. Usha Rao

      September 16, 2014 at 1:42 pm

      5 stars
      Even I don't use garam masala in dal but once made it seeing a cookery show. I liked it and would not mind it once in a while.

      Reply
    5. Archana Potdar

      October 15, 2014 at 12:58 pm

      Looks good its the masala that I was worried about but will try it when FIL is not around.

      Reply
    6. Priya Srinivasan

      October 29, 2014 at 8:58 am

      Our own comforting Dal is a national dish of another country,see how some cuisines are same across the border!! I m a Dal person any day!!!

      Reply
    7. PJ

      October 31, 2014 at 11:51 am

      I too have this bookmarked from Sandhyas space but yet to try it. I made a slightly different version of this dhal for Nepal. Love your last click Pavani

      Reply
    8. Lauren

      August 17, 2017 at 2:51 pm

      What kind of chilies do you use? Specific ones?

      Reply
    9. Priya Suresh

      November 01, 2017 at 5:41 am

      Slurp, fingerlicking Dal bhat, anything with dal is definitely my favourite, delicious dish.

      Reply
    10. sapana

      March 21, 2018 at 2:27 pm

      I have a big packet of masoor dal to be used up and I will make this national dish of Nepal with it. As only I like the masoor dal at home so always trying to make something new for me.

      Reply
    11. Thorsteinn Gunnar Jonsson

      February 13, 2020 at 8:34 am

      Hi

      It isn't mentioned in the recipe, but how much water would you recommend when cooking on stovetop?

      Best regards,
      Thorsteinn Gunnar

      Reply
    12. Thorsteinn Gunnar Jonsson

      February 13, 2020 at 8:57 am

      4 stars
      Really want to make this recipe, looks excellent.

      However, I am not sure what the ratio of water to lentils should be. Am cooking on stovetop.

      Can anyone help me?

      Reply
      • cookshideout

        February 13, 2020 at 9:15 am

        Hi Thorsteinn, sorry for missing the water quantity on the recipe. Please use 1:2~2.5 dal:water ratio. Keep an eye on it while cooking to see if you need to add more water.
        I live in a high altitude area and usually use more water than sea level. So use this as guideline and add more if dal becomes too thick.
        Also, red lentils thicken while cooling, so you might have to add a little water to the leftovers before warming.
        Hope this helps. Please let me know how the dal turned out. Thank you for visiting Cook's Hideout.

        Reply
    13. Lata Lala

      March 05, 2020 at 10:50 am

      5 stars
      Good to know about National dish of Nepal. The dal looks wonderful and we very often make masoor dal but never tried this way with spice mix powder.

      Reply
    14. Shailender Sharma

      March 10, 2020 at 12:35 pm

      5 stars
      We don't always look forward to restaurant style cooking & at times simple and soulful meal is the need of mood. Here's that comfort food. Superb.

      Reply
    15. Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey

      March 13, 2020 at 11:26 am

      Who doesn't love simple but soul-satisfying daal bhaat, in winter a bowl full of daal bhaat with crunchy salad is a bliss!

      Reply
    16. Mayuri Patel

      March 14, 2020 at 4:59 am

      5 stars
      Yummy and comforting food, love to have it anytime. Adding mixed spice powder, definitely makes its taste so different and doesn't require tomatoes.

      Reply
    17. Geetanjali Tung

      March 16, 2020 at 11:47 pm

      5 stars
      Simple yet comforting meal. The addition of that aromatic spice powder must have added a beautiful flavor and taste to the dal. Love it.

      Reply
    18. Uma Raghupathi

      March 17, 2020 at 9:42 am

      5 stars
      Looks so delicious! I bet this will taste so yummy... Nepal bhat dal is good to pair with brown rice as well.

      Reply
    19. JIHAD BILAL

      March 12, 2023 at 9:12 pm

      5 stars
      By far this is the most authentic recipe for Nepalese Dal Bhat. I made this recipe many times and it is absolutely delicious and easy to make. Instead of water I use vegetable stock that I previously made. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.

      Reply
      • cookshideout

        March 13, 2023 at 7:48 pm

        So happy to hear that. Thank you so much for taking time to let me know.

        Reply

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    571 shares