Thecha dal, the spicy, nutty, and umami flavor of the Indian red lentil beans you know and love! Mash blistered chilli garlic with peanuts to make chilli chutney, then add to lentil soup for a delicious dal!
Table of contents
Thecha is a green chili condiment commonly served with many Indian dishes. This green chili chutney from the Indian state of Maharashtra is a go-to side dish for flatbreads like Bhakri (millet or sorghum flatbread). It’s a spicy, nutty blend of green chilies, garlic and peanuts that are lightly foamed and then ground into a coarse mixture with a mortar and pestle.
You can also serve it as a side dish, such as chutney, or add it to sandwiches or Indian spreads.
In this Lentil Dal, Thecha swirls roasted green chilies, garlic, and peanut relish into the dal for a complex flavor and comfort meal!
Use any lentils of choice to make double the protein thecha to use on sandwiches or garlic bread later!
Why you’ll love Thecha Dal
- Comforting Indian dal with delicious garlic chili peanut topping
- Simple, 30-minute meal
- Naturally soy and gluten free
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Thecha Dal – Lentil Dal with Pickled Chili and Garlic
Thecha dal, the spicy, nutty, and umami flavor of the Indian red lentil beans you know and love! Mash blistered chilli garlic with peanuts to make chilli chutney, then add to lentil soup for a delicious dal!
Serving size: 4
Calories: 248kilocalories
raw material
For the dal:
- 1 cup (180 G) Split red lentils Wash and drain, or other lentils such as moong dal, toor dal
- 3 cup (709.76 ml) water or broth
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon chili or paprika
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Optional dal addition:
- 1 tomato Chopped
- 2 to 3 spoon chopped cilantro
- ½ cup (118.29 ml) coconut milk
For follicles:
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 6-7 serrano pepper or Indian long chilli or other choice of green chilli
- 4 to 5 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 spoon Unroasted or roasted unsalted peanuts
- lots of salt
instruct
Make dal.
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Place the drained lentils and the rest of the dal ingredients in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Partially cover and cook until lentils are cooked to your liking. 13-17 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and taste. If consistency is desired, add ½ cup water or coconut milk and mix. You can also add chopped tomatoes and cilantro at this point and mix.
While the dal is cooking, make the chacha.
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Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil. Once the oil is hot, increase the heat to medium-high and add the green chilies. Cook until green chilies are lightly browned and bubbly. Add the garlic, stir for a few seconds, then add the cumin seeds, stir for a few seconds, then add the peanuts. Add appropriate amount of salt, stir well, then turn off the heat.
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Continuing to stir for the next few seconds, cook the garlic and peanuts in the residual heat of the pan until they turn golden brown.
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Once the mixture has cooled slightly, transfer it to a mortar and pestle and press and mix to break up all the peanuts until you have a coarse mixture. You can also use a small food processor and process until you have a coarse mixture.
Serve thecha dal.
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When the dal is ready, switch off the heat and put a few spoons of chacha on the dal and swirl the chacha into the dal but do not mix it completely. Garnish with some cilantro and lemon juice and serve with rice, flatbread or grilled meat.
notes
If peanut-free, use cashews; if nut-free, use sunflower seeds instead of peanuts.
Pan cooking time for other lentils. Moonong dal lentils take 22-26 minutes. Toor dal, 30 minutes or more. Brown lentils 40 minutes or more.
Instant Pot Cooking Time: Split red lentils, 3 minutes, Moong dal lentils, 6 minutes, toor dal, 10 minutes.Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release quickly
Nutrition
nutrient content
Thecha Dal – Lentil Dal with Pickled Chili and Garlic
Amount per serving
Calories 248
Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
fat 7 grams11%
2 grams of saturated fat13%
sodium 327 mg14%
Potassium 600 mg17%
carbohydrate 33 grams11%
Fiber 15 grams63%
2 grams of sugar2%
protein 14 grams28%
Vitamin A 427IU9%
Vitamin C 11 mg13%
calcium 47 mg5%
iron 4 mgtwenty two%
*Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Red Lentils – The base of this simple dal.
- Water – to cook the lentils. You can use broth to add flavor.
- Ground spices – turmeric, chilli powder or chilli powder, garam masala and salt to season the dal.
- Optional additions – If you wish, you can add chopped tomatoes, some coriander and some coconut milk to the dal.
- thecha – blistered green chillies, roasted garlic, cumin and peanuts with a pinch of salt as a topping for dal. You can use serranos or Indian green chilies or other green chilies of choice.
- Garnish – Cilantro and lemon juice complete the dish.
tip
- When making thecha, make sure you cook the peppers correctly. The skin should start to brown and blister before adding the garlic and other chacha ingredients.
- You can use a mortar and pestle or a food processor to break the follicles into a coarse mixture rather than a paste.
- Do not mix the tea into the dal completely. Part of the fun of this dish is the contrast of textures and flavors.
How to make tea dal
First, make the dal.
Add the drained lentils and remaining dal ingredients to a pan and place over medium heat. Partially cover and cook until lentils are cooked to your liking. 13-17 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and taste.
If needed, add ½ cup water and mix. You can also add chopped tomatoes and cilantro at this point and mix.
While the dal is cooking, make the chacha.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil. Once the oil is hot, increase the heat to medium-high and add the green chilies.
Cook until green chilies are lightly browned and bubbly.
Add the garlic, stir for a few seconds, then add the cumin seeds, stir for a few seconds, then add the peanuts. Add appropriate amount of salt, stir well, then turn off the heat.
Keep stirring for the next few seconds and cook the garlic and peanuts until golden brown.
Once the mixture has cooled slightly, transfer it to a mortar and pestle and press and mix to break up all the peanuts until you have a coarse mixture. You can also use a small food processor and process until you have a coarse mixture.
When the dal is ready, switch off the heat and put a few spoons of chacha on the dal and swirl the chacha into the dal but do not mix it completely.
Garnish with some cilantro and lemon juice and serve with rice, flatbread or grilled meat.
frequently asked questions
Thecha is an Indian green chili condiment. It’s a spicy, nutty concoction of blistered green chilies, roasted garlic and roasted peanuts ground into a coarse mixture with a mortar and pestle.
Thecha dal is naturally soy and gluten free. It does contain nuts.If you don’t add peanuts, you can use sunflower seeds instead
