Daali thoy(dalitoy/dalithoy) is the first recipe learnt by all konkani people when they start cooking. It is simple daal with chilies, ginger, asafoetida etc. This is a must in almost all Konkani functions and festivals. May be one of the very important comfort food. The traditional recipe does not call for coriander leaves, but I like this dish with coriander leaves.
Some places, like in South Kanara, ginger and turmeric are not added. But in North Kanara usually both of them are used for this dish.
Daal (Dalithoy)
Konkani special basic dal spiced simply with ginger and a simple seasoning.
Ingredients
- 1 cup toor dal
- 3-4 green chillies
- 1 inch piece ginger
- A pinch turmeric powder
- Coriander leaves optional
- 2 tspn ghee or coconut oil
- 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds
- 1 red chilli
- A pinch asafoetida
- 4-5 curry leaves
- Salt
Instructions
- Cook dal in pressure cooker with a pinch of turmeric, green chillies and finely chopped ginger. Typically it gets cooked in 3 whistles.
- Heat the cooked dal with salt.
- When it starts boiling, take off the heat.
- Garnish with finely cut coriander leaves.
- Heat ghee or oil.
- Add mustard.
- When mustard starts popping, add curry leaves and red chillies.
- Add asafoetida.
- Pour this seasoning over the cooked dal and close the lid.
- Serve with hot rice, ghee and lemon.
Really nice one,Helps ppl like me to venture into the new avenues of cooking typical GSB dishes
Damodar Hegde
California US
Thanks Damodar. If you wish to see some specific recipe posted here, you can mention it in ‘recipe request’ and I will post about it.
Shilpa … Yes we do not add turmeric, ginger and coriander leaves. Seasoning with coconut oil, mustard, curry leaves and hing (asfoetida). If there is any other variation done in SK or if i am wrong, anybody can let me know. My MIL prepares it in the way exactly mentioned above. I this variation of Dali thoy too.
Hi Shilpa…. I checked with my mom today the exact way how Dali thoy is prepared in SK. She said there are two ways of making the same
1. ginger and green chills are added to dal while cooking, but asafoetida is not added in the seasoning.
2. In case ginger is not added then the seasoning of hing is given.
Daali Thoy is my all time comfort food.Just the coconut oil tadka on it , soothes a worrying soul.No wonder its the first thing women need to learn.My gujju father was a true connoisseur of all things saraswat including my mum 😉
hi,
i am from uttar kanara from a place called sirsi. i am gsb and i feel that your website helps all youths and adults to cook and know the gsb taste. This was my first recipe prepared. Thanks a lot
Goan style dalitoy is like this. Turdal is cooked with ginger-green chilly. Seasoned in ghee with mustard seeds, red chilly, lots of curry leaves and hing. And last but not the least is a freshly extracted coconut milk about 2-3 tblspns. No turmeric is added and the colour is white with red chilly and green kadipatta floating on it. Some people even add a tsp of sugar. Tell me how u liked this simple recipe.
First of all thanks for post all the wonderful recipes. I would like to try your version of dalithoi. I cook a lot of different dishes but nothing tastes better than Dalithoi and roasted Batata Upkari! I am a GSB and the dalithoi I grew up eating was :
1 cup toovar dal washed and cooked in the pressure cooker (turn it off before 1st whistle
1 chopped green chilli
a few drops of hing water
salt
Mix all of the above and cook 1 minute. For tadka heat ghee or oil and add mustard seeds till they splutter. To this add crushed red chillies a little hing powder and chopped curry leaves. Some people like to eat dalithoi and rice with a drop of lemon juice. Ghee tastes really good but a lot of us are watching our cholesterol.
What veena says is original Konkani Dalitoi… This is only dalitoi… what is posted is not Dalitoi… it is a version of dal. Sorry.
First of all thanks for posting all the wonderful recipes. I would like to try your version of dalithoi. I cook a lot of different dishes but nothing tastes better than Dalithoi and roasted Batata Upkari! I am a GSB and the dalithoi I grew up eating was :
1 cup toovar dal washed and cooked in the pressure cooker (turn it off before 1st whistle
1 chopped green chilli
a few drops of hing water
salt
Mix all of the above and cook 1 minute. For tadka heat ghee or oil and add mustard seeds till they splutter. To this add crushed red chillies a little hing powder and chopped curry leaves. Some people like to eat dalithoi and rice with a drop of lemon juice. Ghee tastes really good but a lot of us are watching our cholesterol.
Hi Veena, Thanks for your kind words about Aayi’s recipes. Even Aruna has mentioned the same recipe like yours above. I think this is what is followed in South Kanara. But In North Kanara, mostly we follow the recipe I mentioned. I love both the methods very much :). Please let me know how you liked this method. Feedbacks from you all is very important for improving this site. Thanks a lot.
I have been in the US for 6 months now…first time I tried making dalithoy and it tasted awesome …thanks for the recipe …now I dont need to tell my mom I miss her dalithoy ..
I guess this is what is so fantastic about our country. same ingredients, slight variations in usage, and voila, the dish takes on a differnt taste. This is a lovely website – keep the fantastic work going Shilpa. I can almost visualize sitting in an idyllic Konkan setting, the sea a few meters away, swaying coconut palms, fresh konkan fruit and spices, beautiful and gentle people, and some truly fantastic food! How about posting resipes using the amazingly tender fresh Kaju? I know the dry ones are no substitute at all, but who can beat all the upakari’smade with fresh kaju?
BTW – I am neither GSB, CKP etc, but an Indian who celebrates the diversity of our cuisine.. and I love vegetarian Coastal food!
God Bless..
And i would love to have the mangalore Sanna recipe with some Yummy veggie Gussi!
thank you so much for this recipe! one question though – can you (or anyone else) provide quantities for the mustard seed, asafoetida, and curry leaves? i can estimate it and i think i might get it in the ballpark, but it would be great to have exact numbers. thanks!
Shilpa: About 1/2 tea spn of mustard and 4-5 curry leaves for the above quantity will be enough
can you pls tell me the receipe for shrikand
Shilpa,
I am commenting in this field, bcoz i guess this was ur very first recipe posted and i wish to Congratulate u frm the bottom of my heart for completion of two years, one month of successful blogging!May the coming future make your blog a big success by reaching out to many more people like me who can make things easily by following your stepwise explanation,pics,accurate measurements and the lovely tips!!!
CONGRATS..CONGRATS…CONGRATS!!!!
THREE CHEERS TO U..HIP HIP HURRAY..HIP HIP HURRAY..HIP HIP HURRAY!!!!
God Bless!
Shilpa: Thanks Purnima. You are so sweet. Yes, my blog was created on 28th of Jun 2005. It was a gift to me from my hubby, he told me to start the blog for a long time and when I was too lazy about it, he created it. Sweet anniversary gift isn’t it?
Yes, indeed Shilpa…The best Gift..and you hv done justice to it..making it come alive !Talking of laziness..you are not even close to the L of lazy! But my laziness of cooking definitely vanished the day I hit on to this site! I hv ample on hands (native dishes)to try and many more merits due to AR! Many of your posted recipes have now become regular additions and not to forget the baking!You motivated me a lot!
Thanks Shilpa..
PS : And also -A belated Happy Anniversary to both of U!(I wd remember 28th June since my parents anniversary is on 10th of June – the lovely rainy month!) May God Bless you and fulfill all your wishes!
Shilpa,
could u pls tell me how much water do you add to this dal while cooking and do you mash up after pressure cooked???? pls tell the proper consistency of the dal.
would love to try this simple dal.
Shilpa: Lakshmi, while cooking dal, you usually add water till the dal is immersed in water and comes about 2 inches above it. You can mash the dal or leave it as it is. That is personal choice. Some people make it really watery and some keep it thick. I make it of Sambar consistency.
Hi Shilpa,
My mom would make this almost everyday. Now i am married and so does my husband love this….thanks for this one..its one of my fav now…
Enjoy your vacation in India…n get some more recipes for us when you get back 🙂
Have fun , C ya
its really superb yaar…this is a place where i recollected recepies my grannie used 2 prepare
Awesome !! I tried tomato saru from dis site..it came out really well.. nw time for dali thoy, dis weekend 🙂 tho i stay alone in blore.. i ve stopped eating outside 🙂 self cooking is the mantra 🙂
Thanks so much
Arunatai
As a true Konkani, I have grown up on a daily diet of ‘dali-toya’. Together with hot rice, it’s the best comfort food for the body and soul.
This is a gr8 website
Rgds
Hi Shilpa,
Here’s another slight variation which my amma prepares:
Pressure cook dal with 1/2 tsp methi seeds. Once done mash it. Then add minced ginger, chopped tomato, slit green chillies & bring to boil. Lastly add chopped coriander leaves & season with oil+mustard+red chillies+hing+zeera+curry leaves.
This is a true Amchi dish.. to the extent that I find i don’t like dal in any other form…… dali-sheet… the best comfort food in the world….Also to be enjoyed as idli-thoy (idli with daalitoy) and chakuli-thoy(rice chakuli soaked in daalitoy..YUMMYYY..)
hey Shilpa…
First of all thanks a ton for sharing your recepies.
The title “aayi’s receipes is too good…and it says all..
Regards,
Uma
you r fond of food like me
🙂
he he
thats great
Aniket
i am a regular visitor to your site.
its great, i tried preparing many dishes
from your site, its helpful.
one small suggestion, for a fresher like
me sometimes it is difficult to understand
some shortcut statement like ‘cook rice with masala’
it should be cooked with water or in oil.
thanks and regards
Snigdha
Hi ,
The all important ingredient, WATER , has not been mentioned at all. The method described makes it Daali Sukken !!
Anyway otherwise but your site shud be a great relief to the starters.
Regards.
please suggest how to making
tambali
There are many recipes of tambli on the site under gravy category.
Hi Shilpa,
I went through your blog. The amount of effort than has gone into making this kitchen is amazing. Its become a family where friends get to try and share experiences. I am a KudaL Deshastha from Parula/Valaval/kankavali with MalvaNi cuisine. We too prepare similar dishes with variations taught by my aai/mothiaai(aaji).
Thanks a lot.. i learnt to prepare a lot of konkani dishes.
Hi, Saraswats, it is really nice to read how DDT (Dat Dat Dalitoy) can bond us all together. If ever there is rebirth I wish to be born as GSB once again purely because of the nature of people from GSB Community. “Happy go lucky and and can gel with anybody” ever open minded and benevolent.
Satish Bhat Uppinangady
It is long time no body seems to have visited this site any way it always feels nice to visit and revisit here
nice
We konkanis call it Kuladev of cuisines 🙂
Love your blog. Just found it while looking for directions to make ghee. Thanks for your wonderful directions. I have bookmarked this site so that I can find more ayurveda recipes.
Here are some subtle variations in making Dali Thoi.
a) A small amount of separately cooked urad dal can be added to Toor dal while boiling (1:4). Gives it nice sliminess..
b) One may add a pinch of pepper powder to the dal.
c) One may try adding 1/4 cup of finely chopped cubes of boiled potato to the dal while boiling.
d) One may add few crushed curry leaves to the dal while boiling.
e) Last but not the least,add some “Bhakthi”….. One MUST try one of the famous “Temple Daalithois” in one of the GSB temples!
TRUELY DIVINE TASTE. RIGHT DEVU IS DEVU AMMI KASALEY NA TACHI MUKHAREE……..LONG LIVE DALI LING LIVE DALITHOY
Nic recipe luvd it thnx
Dear Shilpa,
I like all your dishes. Could you pl give the recipe for Pepper Dali thoy (meerya kana thoy)
Thks,
Radha
Radha, thank you. Will see if I can find it.
I just had the most amazing and awesomely tasty dal recipe for lunch today at Konkani neighbours feast and I started searching in Google to know more about it and chanced upon your post. Loved everything about the dish. Hope I can replicate the same taste.
Water may also be added as an essential ingredient!.