What To Serve With Dhal: 15 Best Sides!

If you love Indian flavours and easy dinner ideas, a bowl of steaming, spicy dhal might be right up your street.

It’s healthy, it’s perfect for serving to vegetarians and vegans, and it’s crammed with delicious ingredients such as lentils, fresh tomatoes, garlic, and sometimes even colourful aubergine. 

It’s often considered to be very similar to curry, and that’s true in terms of its flavour profile, though it has a more soupy consistency.

It’s a fabulous main course in its own right or can be added to the table to serve alongside your favourite curry dishes.

Either way, you’re going to want to add a side dish or two to bring everything together and ensure everyone leaves with a full tummy! 

Here, we’re going to explore the best choices for what to serve with dhal. 

What to serve with dhal

Some great options for what to serve with dhal include naan bread, pilau rice, tomato rasam, onion bhajis, Bombay potatoes, Punjabi chole, roti bread, and samosas.

Read on to discover the best recipes and more delicious ideas that you can try at home… 

1. Naan bread

Naan bread is an absolute must for what to serve with dhal!

This light and pillowy bread is perfect for dipping and mopping up that delicious spicy sauce, and it’s surprisingly easy to make your own at home. 

This naan bread recipe requires just ten minutes of cooking, though you will need to factor in time to allow the dough to rise, so you’ll need to get things started a few hours before you plan to eat. 

Some naan recipes are nothing more than glorified flatbreads, but this one really does recreate something that will be just like what you’d get in your favourite Indian restaurant. 

If you like, you can add grated cheese to make cheesy naan.

So good! 

2. Pilau rice

A side dish of rice is another must-have when you’re serving up dhal, and you really can’t beat pilau rice in terms of both flavour and authenticity. 

It’s simple to make at home, and it’s so much better than any of the ready made varieties that you’ll find in the supermarket.

This pilau recipe takes just 20 minutes from start to finish, and it incorporates wonderful flavours including cinnamon, cardamon, turmeric, and bay leaves. 

I like to add my pilau to a bowl, and spoon over plenty of spicy dhal, and then serve with a naan bread on the side.

This combination offers everything you need, and it’s the kind of meal that you’ll want to make time and time again. 

3. Traditional tomato rasam

Rasam is made with tamarind juice, and it’s a delicious soup you can eat alongside or before your dhal over rice.

It’s usually made with cumin, chilli, lemon, pepper, and tomatoes.

This traditional rasam recipe is tangy and spicy, and can be made in less than 20 minutes using ingredients that are mostly pantry staples. 

The main ingredients in this rasam recipe are the traditional rasam powder, tamarind paste, and tomatoes, as well as garlic, curry leaves, crushed black peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander, and salt.

An optional tempering stage uses mustard seeds, asafetida, and dried red chillis for an extra hot kick.

4. Oven baked onion bhajis

Onion bhajis are such a popular side dish or starter in curry houses, and they pair perfectly with a main course of dhal. 

They’re usually deep fried, but this can be a little daunting – not to mention messy! – for your average home cook.

My onion bhaji recipe uses the oven instead, which makes them healthier and easier to make. 

They’re just as tasty thanks to the blend of spices of variety of shredded veggies, but they’re far more achievable and much less hassle.

Add a dollop of mango chutney or cooling raita on the side, and you’re good to go. 

5. Bombay potatoes 

Everyone loves a potato side dish, right?

Ditch your usual chips or roasties for a hearty side of Bombay potatoes. 

These roasted potatoes are delightfully fluffy and are one of the side dishes that I always return to whenever I’m making Indian food. 

My top tip here is to make more than you need, so you have some leftover for the next day.

You’ll find that the flavours have developed an extra depth when they’ve been refrigerated overnight, and they’re fantastic for lunchboxes or for adding to a Bombay toasted sandwich, with the addition of cheese, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, and onion. 

6. Punjabi chole 

Curried chickpeas – what’s not to love here?

You can serve this yummy dish with your dhal and take turns heaping a large spoonful on some naan bread or serve them both over your pilau rice.

The recipe from Cook with Manali is easy-to-follow and only takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

It does need to cook for about an hour, so start this earlier in the day, so both dishes are ready come dinner time.

You’ll also need to soak the chickpeas overnight, but with all the delicious spices in the chole, it’ll be well worth the extra effort.

This is another dish that’s veggie friendly, so it’s a great choice of what to serve with dhal if you want to offer up several choices or a banquet style Indian meal for those who don’t eat meat. 

7. Homemade roti bread

This homemade roti recipe is soft and moreish, and ideal for what to serve with daal. 

It’s also fun and easy to make, so you’ll be thrilled that you decided to make your own instead of picking up a readymade version at the supermarket. 

Traditionally, roti is often used in South Indian cuisine for scooping up food such as curries instead of using cutlery and utensils. 

It’s important that you use the right flour for this recipe, which is called durum atta or chapati atta, though it’s readily available in many Indian and mainstream supermarkets.

The wheat that’s used in this flour is high in gluten, which lends itself well to being rolled thinly.  

8. Vegan friendly samosas 

Samosas are another popular Indian side dish that’s the perfect choice for serving alongside your daal. 

This recipe for veggie samosas is made using potatoes, carrots, peas, a selection of your favourite spices, and a simple homemade pastry. 

Of course, you can get a little experimental with the fillings if you would prefer.

Other popular choices include minced chicken and lamb, which are great choices if you’re catering for meat eaters. 

9. Vegan malai kofta Indian dumplings

Indian veggie-based meatballs, malai kofta make a great side dish for any Indian food lover.

They’re a healthier choice, too, since the filling is potatoes, beans, carrots, corn, and peas.

The Curious Chickpea’s recipe is vegan, uses tofu ricotta, and you serve it with a delicious curry tomato sauce.

These take an hour to cook, so you can get them going and start your dhal, so they are both done simultaneously.

With such yummy spices in the dumplings and the sauce, your friends and family will be begging you to make these the next time you host dinner.

10. Traditional steamed modak

A popular Indian dessert, modak is a steamed, fried, or boiled dumpling. It has a sweet coconut and jaggery filling, and you make it with rice or wheat flour and maida flour.

This modak recipe has several troubleshooting tips and options to make them with and without a mould.

They can be customized to your liking and are a great example if you’re looking to embrace traditional Indian cooking.

Because they can be hand-rolled, get the whole family together to make them and make it an experience.

Cooking together and enjoying the meal is a big part of entertaining and preparing food for many cultures, including Indian.

11. Papdi chaat

Papdi chaat is a popular Indian street food snack, and if you’ve ever tried it, you’ll know just how wonderfully moreish it is! 

It’s made with chickpeas, potatoes, and a medley of chutneys, and it’s a real sensation of tastes and textures. 

If you like to keep your recipes as healthy as possible, you can bake instead of frying. 

It’s also less messy, so the perfect option if you know you’ll be short on time when it comes to cleaning up after the meal! 

12. Tandoori chicken drumsticks

If you’re serving meat eaters, you might want to add some chicken drumsticks as an accompaniment for your dhal.

Here’s a quick guide to making your own:

1. Ingredients: Gather chicken drumsticks, plain yoghurt, tandoori masala (a blend of spices including cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, and garam masala), ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, salt, and red food colouring (optional for the traditional red hue).
2. Preparation: Make a few deep slits in the meat to help the marinade penetrate.
3. Marinating: In a large bowl, mix the yogurt, tandoori masala, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, salt, and red food colouring if using. Coat the drumsticks evenly with the marinade, ensuring it gets into the slits. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, for the flavours to develop.
4. Preheating: Preheat your oven to a high temperature — around 450°F (230°C) — or prepare your grill for medium-high heat.
5. Cooking: Arrange the marinated drumsticks on a baking tray lined with foil and a wire rack on top, or place them directly on the grill. Bake or grill, turning occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the outside is charred, about 30-40 minutes in the oven or 20-25 minutes on the grill. An instant-read thermometer should read 165°F (75°C) when inserted into the thickest part of the drumstick.

13. Saag paneer

Adding a serving of green veggies to your plate is always a good idea, and saag paneer is a delicious way to do it. 

This takeaway favourite is typically made with spinach, paneer cheese, and a selection of aromatic spices. 

Served together, dhal and saag paneer make for a delicious Indian inspired feast. 

14. Mango chutney

Indian cuisines excels when it comes to delicious chutneys, and of course the most famous of all is mango. 

Shop bought varieties can often be sickly sweet and disappointing, so if you really want to have the best and most authentic experience, try making your own. 

It also makes a wonderful gift for loved ones, so you might want to make a big batch! 

I love adding a generous dollop to a bowlful of dhal, with some naan breads for dipping and mopping up those juices. 

15. Ghee roast potatoes

Roast potatoes might not be the most traditional or authentic option for what to serve with dhal, but they’re completely delicious, so they’re definitely worth considering! 

You can add a nod to the Indian theme by making these amazing ghee roast potatoes. 

They’re so satisfyingly crisp and golden, and the addition of a fresh coriander chutney adds extra zing and flavour. 

It’s a recipe that you’ll definitely want to make time and time again one you’ve tried it. 

The best side dishes for dhal 

A bowl of delicious dahl is even better when you select the right side dishes! My favourites include:

• Naan bread
• Pilau rice
• Tomato rasam
• Onion bhajis
• Bombay potatoes
• Punjabi chole
• Roti bread
• Samosas

Choosing a couple from this list will turn an everyday lunch or dinner into a real treat.