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Black Dal: Urad dal or kali dal or Maa ki dal

Dal is a staple in every Indian household. There are many different ways of making dal and every household will have their own special way of cooking Dal or have a recipe that is passed down for generations.
Dal can be made from many different kinds of dry lentils and legumes, they can be split or whole. You can make Dal in a pot, on the stove top or a pressure cooker like most Indian's do, or use an Instant Pot like I do in the video above. If you are using a pot, make sure you soak your lentils for at least 8 hours. This cuts down the time it will take to cook your lentils.
In this recipe I am using black gram lentils also know as Urud lentils (whole black Urud). I have used very few ingredients to make a rich, thick dal that can be eaten with rice, or flat bread (roti, naan, chapati, and even pita). You can add a little butter and cream right at the end if you want it rich and creamy.
Course dinner
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Soaking Lentils 8 hours
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 people
Calories 165kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Vitamix Blender
  • 1 Instant Pot
  • 1 Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 cup black lentils (soaked for 8 hours) (you can find in any Indian store know as Urud lentils (whole black Urud, not washed and split Urud which is white).
  • 1 small onions (red or white) (chop fine by hand or in a blender)
  • 1 large tomato (chop very fine or blend)
  • 1 tsp garlic (chop fine or blend with ginger)
  • 1 tsp ginger (chop fine or blend with garlic)
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt (use as per your taste, you can always add more after cooking)
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil (you can use butter or any oil of your choice)
  • 1.5 cups water (add more if you like a thinner consistency)
  • 3 green chilies (optional) (I like it spicy so I use fresh chillies, omit if you dont want it spicy)
  • 1 bunch coriander leaves (for garnshing)
  • 1/2 juice of lemon (for garnishing)

Instructions

  • Wash and rinse urad dal (whole black lentil) and soak in water overnight or for 8 hours at least.
  • Prepare all your ingredients, by chopping the onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger. I like to use a small Vitamix blender to chop my ingredients, as this allows for consistency and helps with evenly sautéing the onions, garlic/ginger & tomatoes.
  • To an instant pot or a pressure cooker or a regular pot add oil, once hot, add garlic and ginger, saute for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat, be careful not to burn.
    Add the onions and green chilies (if using fresh chillies) and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, being careful not to burn - by stiring now and again.
    Then add in all your spices and salt, mix really well and cook on low flame till you get a nice thick masala. Make sure to keep stiring until your garlic/ginger/onion and spices all come together to form a thick masala. This should take 8 minutes or so.
    Now add in the tomatoes, allowing it to cook for another 5 minutes or so, stiring well.
    Finally add in the soaked and rinsed black dal, water and mix well. Close the instant pot and cook on stew. (see notes below on how to cook in a pot or a pressure cooker)
  • Once the automatic cooking time is complete your instant pot will turn off. Open the instant pot and top with fresh coriander leaves and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Taste, add salt if needed.
  • At this point, you can add 1/4 cup of fresh cream or 1/4 cup of sour cream or 1/4 cup of thick yogurt (if you eat dairy), and mix throughly.
  • Serve with rice and/or roti, chapati, naan or any flat bread.

Notes

If using a regular pot,  once you have complete all the steps above  cover and allow to cook on medium heat, checking now and again and mixing, to prevent the lentils from getting burnt - cook till your lentils are complete soft, adding water if needed.
If using a pressure cooker, close your pressure cooker, place the pressure regulator and cook on medium till you hear about 2 to 3 hissing sounds ( this hissing sound is venting pressure in the form of steam).

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 3mg