A Lalkila guide to buying toor moong masoor urad and chana dal
Shopping for dal is easier when you recognise both the pulse and its form. A packet of whole green moong is different from split yellow moong, even though both carry the moong name. When browsing dal at Lalkila.com, read the full name before choosing by colour or price.
Lalkila is an online Indian supermarket for Indians abroad. This guide is a practical way to identify common dals and avoid ordering a different ingredient from the one your recipe requires.
Five names to recognise
The word dal can refer to an ingredient or to a cooked preparation. On a shopping list, it helps to be more specific:
- Toor, also written tur or arhar, refers to pigeon pea; toor dal is commonly sold split.
- Moong refers to mung bean. Whole green moong and split forms are separate choices.
- Masoor refers to lentils, available in whole and split forms.
- Urad refers to black gram, with whole, split and dehulled forms to distinguish.
- Chana dal is split, dehulled desi chickpea. It should not be confused with a packet of whole chickpeas or split yellow peas.
USA Pulses explains the wider pulse category as the dry edible seeds of legumes, including lentils, chickpeas, dry peas and beans. That broader category helps explain why an Indian dal department contains more than the products labelled lentils in another supermarket. Read the USA Pulses introduction.
Match the form to the recipe
Look for whole, split, skin-on or dehulled in the description. Product photographs can help, but the written specification should settle the choice. For a recipe calling for whole urad, a bag of split white urad is a different ingredient.
Cooking methods also need to follow the actual pulse and recipe. Do not assume the soaking or cooking time for one dal applies to every other bag. Package directions and a recipe written for that ingredient are better guides than a universal shortcut.
Start with the meals you already make
For a small household, choosing two dals you use regularly is a sensible beginning. Think about breakfast as well as dinner if you prepare batters or other dishes with pulses. Write the full ingredient names on your shopping list so you can check them against Lalkila's listings.
Compare the weight per packet, number of packets and selected variant price. A multipack only suits your household if you can use and store the quantity. Follow the manufacturer's storage guidance after opening.
Complete a useful Lalkila basket
Pair your chosen dal with rice at Lalkila or another staple you actually eat. Add spices according to the recipes you have planned.
Before ordering, review the ingredient information, pack details, destination eligibility and checkout total. Browse Lalkila's dal and lentil department with the complete name from your recipe beside you.