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Gujarati wedding dal is one of my absolute favorite comfort foods, and honestly, it’s the dish I look forward to the most at any Gujarati wedding! No matter how big the buffet is, I always make sure there’s room on my plate for the dal! It’s sweet, spicy, tangy, and somehow richer and more flavorful than the everyday dal I grew up eating at home. This dal always reminds me of standing in long wedding lines, holding a steel plate, and waiting for someone to ladle out that bright, fragrant dal straight from a giant pot!
If you grew up in a Gujarati household, dal was probably an everyday thing. Simple, quick, and dependable! But Gujarati wedding dal has a whole different vibe. It’s smoother, more flavorful, and it has that khatta meetha (sweet and sour) flavor dialed up!
The mix of amchur, lemon, jaggery, and spices is what makes this dal stand out. You get sweetness, heat, and tang in one spoonful.
What Sets Gujarati Wedding Dal Apart
Wedding dal has its own personality and flavor profile. Some things that make it unique:
- A perfect sweet, spicy, tangy balance!
- Lemon and amchur for acidity and brightness. Kokum and tamarind is also used in recipes to bring that tang!
- Jaggery for warmth and sweetness!
- A longer simmer for deeper flavor
- A silky, comforting texture that still feels light
And honestly, this is the kind of Indian lentil soup that gets better the longer it cooks. A slow simmer makes the flavors rounder, deeper, and more wedding-dal-like.
Tips to Make the Best Gujarati Wedding Dal
These easy tips make a real difference when you’re trying to recreate that authentic wedding-dal flavor at home:
- Let it simmer longer– Gujarati wedding dal benefits from time. Even 10 extra minutes on low heat brings out a fuller, more balanced flavor! It’s even better as leftovers!
- Taste and adjust! This dal is all about balancing sweet, spicy, and tangy, so taste often and adjust! Add a little more lemon juice if you like it tangier or a tiny pinch more jaggery if you want it sweeter.
Whether or not you grew up eating Gujarati food, this dal has everything you need in a cozy bowl of soup. It’s flavorful without being heavy, comforting without being bland, and easy enough to make on a weeknight.
Serve it as a sweet and spicy lentil soup, pour it over rice (which is my favorite!), or pair it with rotli!
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Gujarati Wedding Dal (Sweet, Spicy, Tangy Lentil Soup)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Gujarati Wedding Dal made the traditional way. Sweet, spicy, and tangy lentil soup. A cozy, flavorful Gujarati dal perfect for any day!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (130 g) toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas)
- 2 tsp ghee or vegetable oil
- 3/4 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- 2-inch cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 star anise pod
- 1 dried red chili
- 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 green chili, sliced
- 2/3 cup (122g) tomato puree (about 1 large beefsteak tomato)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
- 3/4 tsp coriander powder
- 3/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp jaggery or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts (optional)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Wash and drain the toor dal, then add it to a medium-sized pot. Add ¾ cups of water and a drizzle of oil to help it from boiling over. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer on low heat for 30-40 minutes, or until the toor dal is soft and mashable. If you have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, you can use it and cook for 10 minutes or 3 whistles. Use an immersion blender to blend the dal into a smooth mixture and set aside.
In a large pot over high heat, add ghee and black mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to sputter, add the cumin seeds. Once they start to pop, add curry leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, dried red chili and hing. Sauté for 30 seconds and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add peanuts, ginger, and green chili and saute for 1 minute. Turn the heat up to high and add tomato puree, turmeric, amchur, coriander powder, curmin powder, garam masala, and jaggery. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the pureed dal and 4 cups of water. Stir well and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust the flavor: add more jaggery if you like it sweeter, or more lemon juice for a tart flavor. Adjust spices as needed. Add cilantro and serve with rice or on it’s own.
Notes
Leftover will thicken as they sit, so add a few tablespoons of water to the dal before reheating it.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Indian
