A Photo Gallery of Indian Daals and Beans

Lentils (Daals) and Beans are a huge part of the Indian diet. Most meals include them and recipes for how to cook them abound. This is not surprising as not only are Daals delicious to eat and versatile, they are really good for you too. They pack a massive protein punch and that's just the start! Just one cup of cooked Daal can give you as much as 62 per cent of your daily dietary fibre requirement! Daals also have high levels of important minerals like manganese, phosphorous, pottasium, iron and copper. They are high in folates and the B-vitamins like Thiamin. When I first started cooking, I couldn't tell one Daal from another and as for trying to remember their names, well that's another hilarious story altogether! To help those in a similar predicament, here are pictures of the most commonly used and popular Indian daals and beans. If improperly stored, Daals can easily get insects in them and spoil, so buy moderate amounts (about 1 kg each) and store in airtight containers.