Dal or Dhal (IPA: [d̪aːl]) is a dried pulse (lentil, pea or various types of bean) which has been split.The outer hull is usually stripped off; dal that has not been hulled is described as chilka (skin), e.g. chilka urad dal, mung dal chilka. The word dal is also used to name the thick stew prepared from these pulses, an important part of Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi cuisine.