Photo by Anna Petrow

Dal is a word used for pulses or lentils, beans and peas and for some of the most delicious dishes you can find on an Indian restaurant menu. When combined with a grain, like rice, dal is considered to be a complete protein or protein that provides the nine essential amino acids we can only obtain from our food. It’s a vegetarian or vegan’s answer to “where do you get your protein?”, as it is as nourishing or even more so than meat. On the whole, dal is easy to digest and is acceptable for most doshas or imbalances, especially when soaked prior to cooking and consumed in moderate amounts. In Ayurveda yellow mung dal or mung beans are most frequently seen, due to their star role in the hallmark dish called kitchari. Kitchari is a cleansing cuisine that combines mung with rice and spices like cumin and turmeric and is used to help a system reset or to provide nutrition to those who are trying to heal from different illnesses or traumas. While we honor the yellow mung with frequency, there are other types of dal that can be used to give our bodies fuel that the Energizer Bunny could only dream of. Here’s a little about different types of dal. Note that (-) means pacifying or good for a dosha while (+) means aggravating and (=) means neutral. And keep in mind that dal tends to be good for most, but when we have excess is when digesting dal can be difficult.

• Common Brown Lentils: V+P- K-  An easy to digest lentil, but can be a little drying for vata.
• Green Mung Beans/Dal: VPK=  These are the beans that sprout to make “bean sprouts.” Kitchari is sometimes made with green mung.
• Masoor Dal/Red Lentils: V+ PK=  These lentils turn yellow upon cooking! Their lightness and dryness may make them more aggravating for vata if consumed in excess and if you experience constipation, you should avoid consuming.
• Split Yellow Mung Beans/Dal: VPK= The star pupil, split yellow mung nourishes all!
• Toor Dal/Pigeon Peas: V-P+K- Quite similar to split yellow peas, but more provoking to pitta.
• Urud Dal/Split Black Lentils: V- P+ K+ One of the heaviest of lentils and thus provide a foundation for strength and is very grounding for vata.