Name: Quick Tri-Dal
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Indian (Jain)
Ingredients: ¾ cup Toor dal, split & dehusked; ½ cup Urad dal, split & dehusked; ¼ cup Chana dal, split, optional; 4 cups Water; ¾ tsp Turmeric; 1 tsp Salt; 2½ tbsp Ghee; ½ tsp Mustard seeds; 1 tsp Cumin seeds; ¼ tsp Hing; 1 tbsp Ginger, grated; 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder; 1½ tbsp Lemon juice; 2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped; Salt, to taste, as needed; ½ tsp Ghee, extra (toddler)

Tri-Dal · Meal Prep

Quick Tri-Dal

◆ No soak needed ◆ Cook: ~30 min ◆ 6 adult portions + toddler

~10–12g protein per adult serving — from toor, urad & chana dal

Ingredients

Dal (washed only, no soak)

Toor dal, split & dehusked¾ cup
Urad dal, split & dehusked½ cup
Chana dal, split, optional¼ cup
Water4 cups
Turmeric¾ tsp
Salt1 tsp

Tempering (tadka)

Ghee2½ tbsp
Mustard seeds½ tsp
Cumin seeds1 tsp
Hing¼ tsp
Ginger, grated1 tbsp
Kashmiri chili powder1 tsp

Finish & garnish

Lemon juice1½ tbsp
Cilantro, chopped2 tbsp
Salt, to tasteas needed
Ghee, extra (toddler)½ tsp

Method

1 Rinse and pressure-cook the dals

Rinse toor dal (¾ cup), urad dal (½ cup) and chana dal (¼ cup) together under water until it runs mostly clear — no soaking needed
Add to the pressure cooker with water (4 cups), turmeric (¾ tsp) and salt (1 tsp)
Pressure cook 6–7 whistles on medium heat — the extra whistle or two makes up for skipping the soak, especially for the chana dal
Let pressure release naturally, then whisk lightly with a ladle until the dal is smooth but still has a little texture

👶 Toddler — pull before the tempering

Scoop out a small bowl (about ¾ cup) of the plain cooked dal now, before tempering
Stir in a small pat of ghee (½ tsp) for richness — her bowl stays plain and mild since it's set aside before the chili-spiced tempering is made
Set the bowl aside

2 Make the tempering (tadka)

Heat ghee (2½ tbsp) in a small pan over medium heat
Add mustard seeds (½ tsp) and let them pop
Add cumin seeds (1 tsp), sizzle 10 seconds
Add hing (¼ tsp) and grated ginger (1 tbsp), sauté 20–30 seconds until fragrant
Add Kashmiri chili powder (1 tsp), stir for just a few seconds so it doesn't scorch

3 Finish, then store for meal prep

Pour the hot tempering over the remaining dal (the toddler portion has already been set aside) and stir well
Adjust consistency with water (as needed) — this dal should be pourable, not thick like a gravy
Simmer 3–4 minutes on low heat so the flavors settle
Stir in lemon juice (1½ tbsp) and adjust salt (as needed)
Garnish servings with chopped cilantro (2 tbsp) just before eating — store the rest without it
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in an airtight container — keeps 4 days
Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of water to loosen; add the garnish fresh after reheating

Notes Stovetop pressure cooker works straight from rinsed dal — no soak needed since these are all split and dehusked; give it one or two extra whistles versus a soaked-dal recipe to make sure the chana dal fully softens. Chana dal is optional — skip it and use 1 cup toor dal + ½ cup urad dal instead (same total volume), dropping back to 5–6 whistles. This is a thinner, everyday dal, not a gravy — meant for rice or roti as a daily-rotation option alongside the richer dal makhani. Ginger is added generously here since it's the main warming element in a light, Jain dal like this.