What is Dal Bhat Tarkari?

The Himalayan daily plate: tempered black lentils, rice, and a turmeric-spiced vegetable curry.

Where does Dal Bhat Tarkari come from?

Dal Bhat Tarkari is a Nepali dish from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

Can Dal Bhat Tarkari be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Dal Bhat Tarkari recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Dal Bhat Tarkari take to make?

About 60 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Recipe

Name: Dal Bhat Tarkari
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nepali
Ingredients: 1 cup black lentils (or split urad); 2 cups basmati rice; 3 cups total potatoes and cauliflower, chunked; 1 cup green beans, cut; 1 tomato, chopped; 3 tbsp ghee (for tempering); 1 tsp jimbu (Himalayan herb) or a pinch of asafoetida + garlic; 1 tsp each ground turmeric, cumin, coriander; 1 tbsp each fresh ginger + garlic, minced; 2 dried red chilies

Asia → 🇳🇵 Nepal → Kathmandu Valley

Dal Bhat Tarkari

Nepali · easy · serves 4

prep 20 min · cook 40 min

~874 cal · 31g protein · 158g carbs · 12g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Dal bhat platter: lentils, rice, and vegetable curry in steel dishes

🇳🇵 Kathmandu Valley

"Dal bhat power, twenty-four hour," grin the trekking guides — because this is what fuels the Himalaya, eaten twice a day, refilled until you surrender. The jimbu-and-ghee tempering poured sizzling over the lentils is the Kathmandu Valley’s signature.

Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

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1 cup black lentils (or split urad)

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2 cups basmati rice

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3 cups total potatoes and cauliflower, chunked

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1 cup green beans, cut

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1 tomato, chopped

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3 tbsp ghee (for tempering)

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1 tsp jimbu (Himalayan herb) or a pinch of asafoetida + garlic

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1 tsp each ground turmeric, cumin, coriander

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1 tbsp each fresh ginger + garlic, minced

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2 dried red chilies

Instructions

Simmer the lentils with turmeric and half the ginger in 4 cups water for 30 minutes until soft and soupy. Cook the rice.

Make the tarkari: fry cumin and the remaining ginger-garlic in a spoon of ghee, add vegetables, coriander, tomato, and a splash of water; cover 15 minutes until tender.

Temper the dal: heat the rest of the ghee with jimbu (or asafoetida-garlic) and dried chilies until fragrant, and pour it sizzling over the lentils.

Serve as a round plate: rice center, dal poured over, tarkari beside. Refill without asking — that’s the custom.

Kathmandu Valley daily table.

Ratings & reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.

🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Kathmandu Valley. Newar courtyards and the twice-daily ritual of dal bhat.

🗺️

Nepal. Himalayan kitchens where dal bhat powers every trek.

🌍

Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →