Panchratna dal (also ''panchmel dal'' in

Rajasthani cuisine Rajasthani cuisine ( hi, राजस्थानी व्यञ्जन) is the cuisine of the rugged Rajasthan region in North West India. It was influenced by both the warlike lifestyles of its inhabitants and the availability of ingred ...

, ''mughlai dal'' in royal

Persian cuisine Iranian cuisine () refers to the culinary practices of Iran. Due to the historically common usage of the term "Persia" to refer to Iran in the Western world,Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 ( ...

and ''pancha dhal'' in

Caribbean cuisine Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of West African,"Cuisine."
(Caribbean.

) is a

dal In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pu ...

very popular in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

, Guyana, Suriname and

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. As the name suggests, based on the Hindi/Sanskrit root "panch"/"pancha" for five, it is made by combining five kinds of dal common to Indian households. The word "panchratna" means five jewels.

Lentils The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest produ ...

are an integral part of Indian cuisine. This is a dish customarily served at special occasions. It is usually accompanied by an Indian flat-bread or

roti Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is popular in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Trini ...

Composition of a panchratna dal

Traditionally, a panchratna dal mixture contains equal quantities of

toor dal Toor may refer to: * toor (Unix) a secondary root account * Pigeon pea, or toor dal * A branch of the Tomar/Tanwar Dynasty People with the surname * Cecil J. Toor (1895–1969), American football coach * Devinder Toor (born 1967/1968), Canadian ...

urad dal ''Vigna mungo'', also known as black gram, urad bean, urid bean, mash kalai, uzhunnu parippu, ulundu paruppu, minapa pappu, uddu, or black matpe, is a bean grown in South Asia. Like its relative, the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the ...

, moong dal,

chana dal In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pu ...

and moath dal. The dal mixture is first soaked in water to soften the lentils. This mixture is then pressure-cooked for 15 minutes till the dal is cooked. The cooked dal is then flavoured with butter, chilies, cumin, cloves,

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are r ...

, ginger and

garam masala Garam masala Hindustani_language.html"_;"title="rom_Hindustani_language">Hindustani_/_(''garm_masala'',_"hot_spices")is_a_Spice_mix.html" ;"title="Hindustani language">Hindustani / (''garm masala'', "hot spices")">Hindustani_language.html" ;"tit ...

. Some recipes substitute

masoor dal The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its Lens (geometry), lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in Legume, pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food ...

for the moath dal, which is less commonly available in some regions than the other four dals.

References

{{Legume dishes Indian cuisine Pakistani cuisine Indo-Caribbean cuisine