Dal Chawal Bowl with Fried Egg and Crispy Onions
Creamy dal over rice with a runny fried egg and crisp onions. Simple, cheap and very satisfying.
Made with Tarka dal base. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time30 mins
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.65 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Cook the rice following the pack, then keep covered.
12 min - 2
Warm your ready made tarka dal base (see the base recipe) in a pan with a splash of water until steaming hot all the way through.
- 3
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat. Fry the onion for 8 minutes, stirring, until crisp and deep golden. Lift out onto paper.
8 min - 4
Wipe the pan and add the remaining oil. Fry the cumin and garlic for 1 minute until the garlic is just golden. Pour this tarka over the dal.
1 min - 5
Fry the eggs in the same pan to your liking.
- 6
Spoon rice into bowls, ladle over the dal, top with an egg, the crispy onions and coriander, and serve with lime.
Tips
- Fry the onions slowly and stir often. They crisp as they cool.
- Use a lid for 1 minute at the end to set the egg white if you like it firmer.
- Add a spoon of mango or lime pickle on the side if it is gluten free.
Storing and freezing
Cool within 1 hour. Keep dal and rice separately in the fridge for up to 1 day and reheat once until steaming hot all the way through. Cook eggs fresh.
Questions
Is dal chawal vegetarian?
Yes. The dal and rice are plant based and the egg makes it vegetarian but not vegan or egg free.
Can I make it vegan?
Yes. Leave out the egg and add roasted chickpeas or crispy tofu for protein.
Can I use brown rice?
Yes. Allow 30 minutes for brown basmati and increase the water as the pack says.
More made with tarka dal base
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.