Toor Dal (Thuvaram Paruppu)

Unpolished Toor Dal (Thuvaram Paruppu) — the daily protein backbone of a Tamil kitchen and the dal behind every sambar. Ours is completely unpolished — no oil, no water, no leather polish — so the surface is matte and the colour varies honestly by harvest.

Key Benefits

• High in protein — 21.7 g per 100 g, around 40% of the daily reference intake.
• High in dietary fibre — 9.1 g per 100 g, of which 2.4 g is soluble fibre.
• High in potassium and folate — 1,395 mg potassium and 108 µg folate per 100 g.
• A source of iron, magnesium and zinc, with only 1.56 g fat and no cholesterol.
• Unpolished and uncoated — the natural outer layer stays on the grain, which polishing strips away for cosmetic reasons only.

Nutritional Information

Source: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (NIN Hyderabad), food code B021.

Traditional Tamil Uses

• Sambar — the everyday one
• Paruppu masiyal / thuvaram paruppu kuzhambu
• Paruppu podi — mixed with hot rice and ghee
• Paruppu urundai kuzhambu
• Thuvaram paruppu payasam and kootu

Storage Instructions

• Store in an airtight gasketed steel or glass jar in a cool, dark place. Never on the floor and never beside the stove.
• Freeze the sealed pack for 3–4 days on arrival — this kills pulse-beetle (paruppu poochi) eggs and is the most effective single step for unpolished organic dal.
• Add 2–3 dried red chillies or a few dried neem leaves to the jar as a traditional deterrent.
• Always use a dry spoon and never return damp scooped dal to the jar.
• Sun the dal for two hours every 2–3 months during monsoon.

Certifications & Compliance

• FSSAI licensed food business — licence number displayed in our website footer.
• Grown without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilisers.
• Organic certification: PGS-India / NPOP (certificate available on request).
• Nutrition figures sourced from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (NIN, Hyderabad).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this look duller than shop dal?
Ours is unpolished. Commercial dal is finished with oil, water or leather polish to make it glossy — that is purely cosmetic and it removes the outer nutrient layer.

Does unpolished dal take longer to cook?
About one extra whistle. Soak for 20–30 minutes and it cooks like any other toor dal — four to five whistles at 1:2.5.

How much do I need per person?
Roughly 25–30 g dry per person for a family sambar, so a 1 kg pack covers around 30–35 servings.