Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Toor Dal

Unlock the perfect flavour pairings for toor dal according to data science. Explore unique recipes and discover the hidden mathematics of flavour.

Toor dal is marked by the unmistakable flavours of bean and starch, woven with delicate hints of glutamate, rice, and protease. These are the notes that lend it such remarkable, resonant depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for toor dal is understanding how these notes harmonise.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our exploration reveals, for instance, how the pungent, spicy capsaicin in chilli powder can infuse with toor dal, and how fennel seed's liquorice notes forge a beautiful synergy with its starchy aroma.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as maillard, earthy, or vegetal, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

The Flavour Code

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Bean Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between bean and liquorice flavours. Since toor dal has a distinct beany flavour, try pairing it with the liquorice flavours of fennel seed.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing toor dal with fennel seed.

Harmonious Flavours Of Toor Dal

Just as our ingredient analysis revealed that bean and celery-like flavour notes are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in toor dal. For instance, the starchy notes of toor dal are strongly associated with lactic acid and peppery notes.

The notes complementing the various notes of toor dal can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of chilli powder offers many of the notes complementary to toor dal, including capsaicin and capsicum notes. Because the flavour profile of chilli powder has many of the of the features that are complementary to toor dal, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of chilli powder across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with toor dal.

Recipes That Pair Toor Dal With Chilli Powder

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of toor dal, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of toor dal, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to toor dal.

What To Drink With Toor Dal

The bay leaf notes in carmenere make it a perfect pairing with toor dal. Likewise, the thyme flavours in côtes catalanes create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of toor dal below.

Which Spices Go With Toor Dal?

Choose spices that enrich its toastiness or enrich its grainy aroma. Chilli powder and dried chilli offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Tamarind paste add a gentle, oniony brightness, while ginger paste introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace spices that harmonise with toor dal's starchiness. The addition of black pepper, with its subtle piperine notes, can complement the starch beautifully, while yellow mustard seed lends a sharp aroma.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Toor dal), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.