Jeera riceServe it with a plain dal, so the cumin in the rice has room.
Red matta riceLadle the dal on generously and let the grains soak it up.
Steamed basmati riceLadle the dal over one side of the rice and mix as you eat.
Flatbreads and wheat rolls 6
Baked wheat rolls (bati)Crack one open, pour ghee into it and ladle the dal over the top.
Chapati (roti)Tear off a piece, fold it into a scoop and dip.
Chickpea flour flatbreadBrush it with ghee while it is hot and eat it with raw onion.
Millet flatbread (bhakri)Break it into the bowl and let the pieces soften for a moment.
NaanKeep it for a thick, buttery dal and tear it at the table.
Sindhi wheat flatbread (koki)Cut it into quarters and dip each piece.
To pour over or stir in 3
A spoonful of creamSwirl it into a dark, rich dal just before serving.
Cumin and garlic sizzled in ghee (tadka)Pour it over the pot at the table, while it is still sizzling.
GheeStir a spoonful into your own bowl just before eating.
Pickles, papad and other small sides 8
Coconut relish (pol sambol)Put a spoonful on the rice next to the dal.
Fermented leafy greens (gundruk)Serve a small portion at the side of the rice.
Mango pickleA small piece at the edge of the plate lasts the whole meal.
Plain yogurtPut a bowl on the table to cool a spicy dal.
Radish pickleServe a few pieces as the crunchy thing on the plate.
Roasted papadCrush it over the dal and rice, or snap off pieces between bites.
Sliced raw onion with lemonSqueeze the lemon over the onion and take a slice with each mouthful.
Tomato pickleSpoon a little beside the rice and mix it in bite by bite.
Vegetable dishes and fried sides 8
Bottle gourd curryKeep it light on spice so it sits quietly beside the dal.
Cauliflower and potatoes (aloo gobi)Spoon it beside the rice and keep the dal in its own bowl.
Crisp taro root fryFry it last and bring it to the table while it still crackles.
Fried sun-dried lentil dumplings (bori)Crumble a few over dal and rice for crunch.
Potatoes in poppy seed pasteEat it with plain rice and a thin dal poured alongside.
Potatoes with fenugreek leavesScoop it up with roti between spoonfuls of dal.
Sautéed okraCook it dry so it stays firm next to the wet dal.
Spinach with potatoesServe it when the dal is mild, as the green on the plate.
Fish and meat 3
Fish curryServe it in a second bowl and take a little of each with the rice.
Fried fishLay a piece on the rice and eat it with the dal-soaked grains.
Goat curryMake it the weekend plate, with dal, rice and a pickle.
Something sweet after 3
Ripe mango slicesChill them and bring them out once the plates are cleared.
Semolina halwaServe a spoonful warm in a small bowl.
Sweet crumbled wheat (churma)Serve it in a small bowl beside the bati.
Drinks 3
Green mango drink (aam panna)Serve it over ice on a hot day.
Spiced buttermilkPour it thin and cold and sip it through the meal.
Sweet lime juiceSqueeze it just before the meal and serve it cold.
How it works
What to eat with dal? Rice or a flatbread, to begin with. These 37 ideas add the pickles, vegetable dishes, fish and sweets that turn a bowl of lentils into a meal, with three drinks.
Read the full guide
What to eat with Indian dal, by custom
Dal is eaten with rice or with a flatbread such as roti or chapati; dal with rice is the meal called dal bhat. In Nepal that meal comes with a vegetable curry and small amounts of spicy pickle, mainly of fermented greens (gundruk) and radish. In Rajasthan, dal is eaten with bati, a hard baked wheat bread, and churma, a sweet dish of coarsely ground wheat, ghee and sugar.
What to eat with daal for a full meal
Start with one starch, rice or bread. Add one dry vegetable dish, so the plate has something to chew, and a pickle or a papad for salt and crunch. Fish or meat is an extra: in Bengal the side to dal and rice may be fried fish.
Keep the dal thinner for rice and thicker for bread, so it soaks in or stays on the scoop.
Leftover dal thickens overnight, so loosen it with hot water before it goes back on the table.
Questions and answers
What can you eat with dal besides rice?
A flatbread: chapati, naan, or a millet bhakri broken into the bowl. Koki, a Sindhi wheat flatbread, goes well with any dal, and dal makhani is commonly served with naan. Dal also works alone, as a soup.
What vegetable goes with dal?
A dry one: sautéed okra, cauliflower and potatoes, or potatoes with fenugreek leaves. Fried lentil dumplings, called bori in Bengali cooking, add crunch.
What pickle goes with dal?
A small piece of mango pickle, since it is salty and sharp. Tomato and radish pickles suit a plain dal as well. Pol sambol, a Sri Lankan coconut relish, does the same job next to rice.
What do you drink with dal?
Without alcohol: thin spiced buttermilk through the meal, or aam panna, a drink made from unripe mangoes, over ice. Sweet lime juice suits a spicy dal.