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Vegan Nepali recipe dal bhat tarkari
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Dal bhat tarkari

Dal bhat (lentils and rice) are a Nepali staple enjoyed frequently thorughout the country. These recipes shows how to make the dal, a simple vegetable curry (tarkari) and fried spinach (sag). Serve with rice, papad and a pickle, such as mula ko achaar (fermented daikon, separate recipe on blog).
Course dinner, Main Course
Cuisine nepali, South Asian
Keyword curry, Dal, lentils, rice
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Dal (lentils)

  • 250 mL red lentils
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1-2 green chili, slit lengthwise, seeds removed
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Tarkari (vegetable curry)

  • 3 potatoes, boiled and cubed 400 g
  • ½ head of cauliflower, cut into florets 400 g
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds or 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds or 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 knob ginger, minced
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped optional

Sag (spinach)

  • 1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped
  • ½ onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 knob ginger, match sticks
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds or 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1-2 dried red chili or ½tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds or ½ tsp ground fenugreek

For serving

  • basmati rice
  • papads
  • pickled vegetables

Instructions

Bhat (rice)

  • Cook rice how you usually like it.
    My favourite way is to soak basmati rice for 30+ min, then drain it.
    Put the rice in a pot, add water equal to the amount of unsoaked rice. (E.g. 400 mL rice + 400 mL water). Add a a pinch of salt.
    Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Turn of hotplate and let sit.

Dal (lentils)

  • Heat oil in a pot. Sweat the onion for a minute, until they start to turn slightly translucent. Add garlic, ginger, green chili and all the spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric). Stir for another 30 s.
  • Add the lentils, salt and 800 mL water.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer until the lentils are done and just about start falling apart.
  • Adjust consistency by adding water if needed. This dal should be quite watery.

Tarkari (vegetable curry)

  • Heat oil in a pan. If using whole cumin, add the seeds now and fry until they crackle. Add fenugreek seeds and let them develop some colour. If using powdered spices, add them below.
  • Fry onion for a few minutes until they start getting a bit of colour.
  • Add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant.
  • Add the ground spices (turmeric, coriander, chili powder). If using ground cumin and fenugreek, add these now.
  • Add the boiled potatoes and stir until spices coat all potatoes. If it starts to burn, add some water.
  • Stir in tomatoes and cauliflower. Add ~200 mL water and salt.
  • Bring to a simmer and simmer until the cauliflower is cooked through. Add water if needed.
  • Mash a few potatoes to create a thicker gravy. Stir in coriander leaves if using.

Sag (spinach)

  • Heat oil in a pan. If using whole cumin, add the seeds now and fry until they crackle. Add fenugreek seeds (if using) and dried chili (if using) and let both develop some colour. The chili will get soft. If using powdered spices, add them below.
  • Add onion and let sweat a little, until slightly translucent.
  • Add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant.
  • If using powdered spices (cumin, fenugreek, chili), add them now and stir
  • Stir in the spinach, let wilt.
  • Let simmer for a few minutes.

Serving

  • Serve dal, bhat, tarkari and sag with papads and pickled vegetables.