Dried split pulses, including peas and beans, are called ‘Dal’ in the Indian subcontinent. In India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and many other Asian countries, various soups are cooked from these pulses. In South Asian countries, dal is one of the most important staple foods and at every eating place, restaurants, inns, and even in the Five Star restaurants, dals of different varieties are available. In SAARC countries, probably, no meal is complete without at least one variety of dal that is eaten with rice and roti, etc. A meal necessarily consists of dal, and other vegetables, roti or rice in almost every home in India. Dal-roti (Indian flat round bread) and Dal-bhat (rice) is a staple diet in many parts of India and other neighbouring countries. Dals happen to be very rich in protein if we compare their protein content to the protein in other vegetables and plants. The husk of dal is called ‘chilka’ in India. Dals are usually husked and their skin is removed before they are cooked. Split pulses are called dal, gram is usually whole. In this book, we have included some of the best recipes for cooking delicious varieties of dal. You can easily cook any of the dal dishes in this book without much effort in your kitchen. All the best Simi Sachar