By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 2, 2026
Serves 2
232 cal · 40 min
Osaman
Recipe GLPR7d13b06dabbfa5
Osaman is a light, aromatic South Indian dal broth infused with warm spices, ghee, and a touch of jaggery sweetness. This delicate side dish combines the fragrant cooking liquid from toovar dal with tempering spices like cinnamon, cumin, and mustard seeds, balanced with ginger, fresh green chilies, and a squeeze of lemon. Finished with fresh cilantro, it's a comforting, gluten-free companion to rice or flatbreads.
Save recipes you love
Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.
Ingredients
½ cup Toovar dal
3½ cups Water
1 tablespoon Clarified butter (ghee)
2 ½ inch pieces Cinnamon sticks
½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
8 Curry leaves
¼ teaspoon Ginger paste
1 Green chili, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ teaspoon Red chili powder
¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
2 tablespoons Jaggery
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
5 sprigs Cilantro leaves, finely chopped
to taste Salt
Directions
Rinse the toovar dal thoroughly under running cold water until the water runs clear, removing any dust or debris.
Add the rinsed dal to a pressure cooker and pour in 3½ cups of water. Close the lid securely.
Place the pressure cooker whistle on the lid and turn the heat to medium.
Allow the dal to cook until the whistle releases steam 2 times, then turn off the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Once safe, carefully open the lid and strain the dal, reserving only the flavorful cooking liquid. Set the cooked dal aside for another use.
Heat the ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the cinnamon stick pieces.
Let the cinnamon infuse into the ghee for about 30 seconds, then add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Allow the mustard and cumin seeds to sizzle and crackle for about 15 seconds, then immediately add the curry leaves followed by the reserved dal cooking liquid. Stir gently to combine.
Add the ginger paste, chopped green chili, turmeric powder, red chili powder, jaggery, salt to taste, and black pepper powder. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Bring the broth to a gentle simmer over low heat and let it cook for about 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.
Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and fresh cilantro leaves.
Serve the osaman hot as a side dish alongside rice or Indian flatbread.
Comments
Toovar dal is the anchor ingredient here and will require a special trip to an Indian grocer—it's not stocked at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Publix, Walmart, ALDI, or Kroger banners in Charlotte. The rest of the pantry is standard, and the spice list is modest enough that most home cooks will have cinnamon, cumin, and turmeric on hand already. At roughly $1.50 for dal and $3–4 total for ghee and spices, the cost per serving lands around $2.50–3.00, which is solid for a two-person meal. The 40-minute stated time is honest for cooking the dal through, though soaking overnight would cut active time meaningfully. This is a same-night dish—dals don't reheat well after sitting—and it's entirely hands-off once the spices hit the pot, making it approachable for a weeknight if you've already made the grocer run.
Sign in or create a free account to add your review.
