Dal
Split pulses such as lentils, peas and beans, and the soupy dish cooked from them across South Asia.
Also: dhal, daal, dahl
Dal means both the dried, split pulse and the dish made from it. Common kinds are toor, masoor, moong, chana and urad. The pulse is boiled until soft, often with turmeric, and finished with a tempering of spices fried in ghee or oil. Eaten with rice or roti, it is an everyday source of protein for hundreds of millions of people, many of them vegetarian. Each region has its own style, from thin south Indian sambar to thick Punjabi dal makhani.