Hyderabadi Khatti Daal is a delicious lentil curry that's almost a soup. Made with light orange masoor lentils and flavored with tamarind pulp, it has a distinctly sour taste. The word "khatti" means sour and this is what makes this lentil curry unique. Try it once and this will be your favorite way of eating daal!
Add to that the fact that the recipe comes together in 20-30 minutes in the Instant Pot and you have a weeknight winner! I serve mine with some basmati-rice and kachumber-salad and it's a family favorite!
The History
The Hyderabad, Deccan region in Inland India has had an influx of migrants throughout its history. As a result the region's cuisine is a mix of Persian, Arab, Mughal, Telugu and Maratha influence.
There is a predominant use of tamarind, coconut and curry leaves in many Hyderabadi recipes. Two of the most well known examples are bagara baingan and mirchi ka salan.
A popular part of Hyderabadi cuisine is the "Dastarkhwan" as per bytesofindia.com. A type of banquet, consisting of 5 courses, the Dastarkhwan refers to a long tablecloth that is laid out on the floor.
The food is served on this table cloth and the guests are seated, cross legged, on the ground as they eat the meal, often by hand.
The five courses of the meal consist of:
- Aghaz {Soup}
- Mezban {Appetizers}
- Waqfa {Sorbet}
- Mashgool Dastarkhwan {Main Course}
- Zauq-e-Shahi {Dessert}
This Hyderabadi Khatti Daal would likely be served as part of the first course in a banquet. However, in most households today it is eaten as a vegetarian main with rice, salad, chutneys and pickles or as a side to a meat based main entree.
MY STORY
I personally have always been drawn to Hyderabadi cuisine. The unique blend of spices used to flavor the many dishes that originate from this region are one of a kind. Whenever I see something on a menu that has tamarind, coconut and curry leaves, I know I'm going to love it!
I've always been a fan of bagara baingan, mirchi ka salan, haleem and biryani. I never realized there was a pattern and that my tastes were trending towards Hyderabadi cuisine till I truly started exploring the background of recipes.
This is when I chose to experiment with hyderabadi khatti daal. Although I do cook other lentils and have a multitude of recipes I use, this is hands down my favorite daal.
The Recipe
The recipe itself is very simple. The lentils are cooked together with a few ingredients in a pot till they reach a creamy consistency. Tamarind water is stirred in next, followed by a tempering with some aromatic spices for a finish.
Lentils are the quintessential comfort food for most South Asians. Although most people have their own favorite recipe, we all want to switch it up every once in a while and try a slight variation. This recipe is just the one for when you want a twist on that old family recipe!
Why Add Tamarind Water At The End?
In my experience adding anything acidic at the end of preparing a curry preserves its sour flavor better. If cooked for a while, citrus or tamarind can lose some of it's pungent flavor.
In the case of tamarind there are also some natural sugars that can burn if overcooked. This can not only ruin the taste, but the appearance of your dish.
Therefore, stirring in the prepared pulp at the end insures best results as far as flavor and appearance is concerned.
Tempering
Also known as "tarka", tempering is an ancient technique that is popular in South Asian cooking.
Whole or ground spices are fried in ghee or oil to help release their aroma and then added to a dish.
This can be done before or after the dish is prepared, although I personally prefer to do it at the end. Especially when cooking Daal.
HYDERABADI KHATTI DAAL
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups masoor daal red lentils
- 6 cups water
- 1.5 tsp ginger/garlic paste
- 3 serrano chillies
- 2 tomatoes
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 4 cups tamarind water
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 2 dry red chillies
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 5 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 15 curry leaves
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Combine the lentils, water, ginger/garlic paste, serrano chillies, tomatoes, salt, red chili powder and turmeric.
- For INSTANT POT cook on highpressure for 15 minutes and do a 5 minute release before venting and opening lid.
- For STOVE TOP cook on high till the mixture begins to boil and then cook on medium for an hour till everything is tender and well blended. You should have a thin soupy consistency by the end.
- Add the tamarind pulp at this point and mix well.
- In a small frying pan heat ¼ cup oil and saute the dry red chilies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic cloves and curry leaves till light brown and then add to the lentils with the oil.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with basmati rice.
I love this recipe! Easy to make and utterly delicious. The addition of tamarind was pure genius. It has officially become my go to daal recipe 👌👌
Thank You Saima. I love tamarind too and everything tastes so much better with it !