Dal bhat (Nepali: दालभात) is a traditional Nepali or Indian staple food consisting of cooked or steamed rice or sometimes other cereal bhat and lentil soup Dal. It is generally eaten twice a day: mid-morning and early evening.

Bhat means boiled rice. At higher elevations where rice does not grow well, other grain such as makai (maize), fapar (buckwheat), jau (barley) or kodo (millet) may be substituted in a cooked preparation called atho or dhido. Bhat may be supplemented with roti or chapati (rounds of unleavened bread).

Dal may be cooked with tomatoes, onion, chili, tamarind, garlic and ginger in addition to lentils or beans. It always contains herbs and spices such as coriander, garam masala, cumin, and turmeric. Recipes vary by season, locality, ethnic group and family.

Dal bhat is often served with vegetable tarkari - a mix of available seasonal vegetables. It is also called Dal bhat tarkari (दाल भात तरकारी). There may also be yogurt or curry made of chicken, goat meat or fish. A small portion of chutney or pickle (called achar) is usually included.

Dal (also spelled Dahl or Daal, or Dhal) is a preparation of pulses (dried lentils, peas or beans) which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick stew prepared from these pulses, an important part of Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, West Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine. It is regularly eaten with rice and vegetables in southern India, and with both rice and roti (wheat-based flat bread) throughout northern India and Pakistan. Dal is a ready source of proteins for a balanced diet containing little or no meat. Sri Lankan cooking of dal resembles that of southern Indian dishes.

The word dāl derives from the Sanskrit verbal root dal- 'to split'.

In South India, dal is often used to make sambar, a spicy soup of red lentils and vegetables cooked with tamarind, asafoetida and some vegetables. It is eaten with rice and rice dishes. In West India, dals are used to make curries to be eaten with rice. Dals are also used to make fermented preparations such as idli, dosa, in south and coastal India. In East India, rice is also the main accompaniment. In Sri Lanka, dal is most often consumed in a curry made with coconut milk.

Bhat (Marathi: भट, Kannada: ಭಟ್) meaning a priest or scribe in Sanskrit, is a surname common in most parts of Nepal. A predominantly Hindu last name, it is found most commonly in the states of coastal areas of Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh, is a common surname in the states of Maharashtra, India. This is a common surname among Kota Brahmin, Konkanastha, Malviya Brahmin Shree Goud Brahmin Goud Saraswat Brahmin, Shivalli Madhva Brahmin, Havyaka Brahmin and Daivajna community. Variations of the Bhat surname are found amongst Brahmins of Kerala and Tamil Nadu such as Pattar amongst Tamil and Kerala Iyers and Bhattathiripad amongst the Nambudiris.

The name is also in use among some Konkani Catholics who trace their ancestry to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa.

The term Bhat also refers to a community of bards and genealogists, found in North India.

Jammu & Kashmir: Bhat is a common surname of Saraswat Brahmin or Muslims.