Toor Dal (Arhar): Uses & Cooking Guide

Toor dal is the split, skinned pigeon pea: small, matte yellow, and slightly starchy once cooked down. In Hindi kitchens it is called arhar dal, and it sits at the center of everyday cooking across most of India, the same way Nepali dal sits at the center of a Nepali thali.

It cooks softer and creamier than moong or masoor, which is exactly why it thickens into that silky, slightly sour bowl of sambar, or the simple, ghee-finished dal fry you get at almost any Indian restaurant. If you are trying to place it against other lentils on your shelf, our dal varieties compared breaks down where toor sits next to chana, rajma, and masoor.

We stock Arhar Daal (Toor Daal) in a 2 lb bag, which is a good starting size if you have never cooked with it before and want to see how quickly your household goes through it.

Like any split lentil, it is shelf-stable for a long time in a sealed container in a cool cupboard: no fridge needed. It belongs with the rest of your lentils shelf, next to moong and chana daal, since most Indian meals rotate between two or three of them through the week.

We are a physical shop on East Hastings in Vancouver, but we ship toor dal and the rest of our pantry across all 10 provinces and 3 territories, so this is not a Lower Mainland-only ingredient. If you want the fuller picture of what we carry beyond dal, our Indian grocery store guide walks through the whole catalog.

Rinse 1 cup of toor dal two or three times until the water runs mostly clear, then soak it for 20 to 30 minutes if you have time. It is not strictly required, since toor cooks faster than most whole lentils, but soaking shortens the pressure cooking time and gives you a smoother dal.

Add the dal to your pressure cooker with 3 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric powder, and a small spoon of oil to stop it from foaming over. Cook for 3 to 4 whistles on medium heat, then let the pressure drop naturally.

For the tempering (tadka), heat a spoon of Khokana mustard oil or ghee, crackle a teaspoon of cumin seeds, then add chopped garlic, ginger, and a dried red chili. Pour this sizzling tadka straight over the cooked dal and stir. Finish with a small pinch of garam masala at the very end, off the heat, so the aroma stays bright instead of cooking off.

Sambar takes cooked toor dal and stretches it with tamarind water, sambar powder, and vegetables like drumstick, pumpkin, or okra, simmered until it is tangy and a little thin, meant to be poured generously over rice or idli. It is a South Indian staple, but the base technique of cooking toor dal down soft is the same everywhere.

Dal fry is simpler and thicker: cooked toor dal finished with a ghee or oil tadka of cumin, garlic, onion, and tomato, closer in spirit to the everyday Nepali dal that shows up next to rice at most meals. If you grew up on Nepali dal bhat, dal fry will feel immediately familiar, just a touch richer with the tomato and tadka.

Toor dal is a solid plant protein source, along with being high in fiber, and it is naturally gluten-free, which makes it an easy staple to build a weeknight meal around when you want something filling that isn't meat. Our dal and lentils protein guide compares toor against moong, masoor, and chana if you're trying to decide which one to lean on for protein.

It's also inexpensive per serving, cooks in under 30 minutes with a pressure cooker, and keeps well as leftovers for two or three days in the fridge, which is part of why it shows up on repeat in so many households.

Plain steamed basmati rice is the classic pairing, whether you're eating sambar rice or a simple dal-chawal bowl. Get the water ratio and timing right and you'll have separate, fluffy grains instead of a gummy pot.

Roti or plain rotli works just as well if you want something less rice-heavy, and a side of achar cuts through the richness nicely on a dal-fry night.