Black Urad Dal | Black Gram Dal
Simple black urad dal recipe made with whole black gram dal cooked in a spicy onion-tomato masala base with spices like bay leaf, cinnamon, black peppercorns, and cloves. Serve this kali urad dal with rice or roti for a complete meal or eat a big bowl as a hearty and healthy soup!
Servings: 4
Calories: 263kcal
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole Black Gram dal kali urad dal/ black urad dal
- 2 tbsp Coconut oil or use ghee
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 4-5 Black Peppercorns
- 4-5 Cloves
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 pinch Asafetida hing
- 1 Green chili chopped (optional, adjust to taste)
- 1 inch Ginger peeled and grated
- 5 cloves Garlic smashed, peeled, and chopped
- 4 spring Onions white and green separated (alternatively use 2 medium red onions)
- 3-4 medium Tomatoes pureed (about ¾th cup puree)
- 4 tsp Coriander powder
- 2 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala (or use a spice mix like Rajma masala or Chana masala)
Instructions
- Wash and soak the black urad dal in 3 cups water overnight.
- Put a pressure cooker on medium heat. Heat ½ tbsp coconut oil. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, and cloves. Sauté for ½ a minute.
- Drain and add the soaked dal. Add some salt and turmeric. Mix well.
- Cover with 2 cups of water and close the pressure cooker. Let the dal cook at high heat for 4 whistles and then reduce the heat to minimum and let then cook for another 15-20 mins on very low heat. (If required move your pressure cooker to the smallest burner) Remove from heat and keep aside till the pressure cooker releases all the steam and can be opened safely.
- While the dal is cooking, prep all the vegetables. Peel and grate the ginger; peel and chop/grate garlic, chop the green chili, chop the onions, and chop & puree the tomatoes.
- In another pan, heat the remaining 1½ tbsp of oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add cumin and asafetida.
- When the cumin seeds start to dance around (sputter), add green chilies, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for a minute to flavor the oil.
- Next in, add spring onion whites (or all the onion if you are using red onions). Sprinkle some salt and mix well. Salt helps to sweat and cook the onions faster. When the onions start to soften, add the spring onion greens as well. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes till the onions start to turn slightly brown.
- Add the tomato puree and all the remaining spices — coriander, cumin, red chili, garam masala, and salt (if required). Mix well. Cook covered with occasional stirring, until the masala starts to leave oil on the sides. Add a little water if required.
- When the dal is cooked and the pressure cooker can be opened, mash some of the dal in the cooker with the back of a ladle spoon. Just some to give it a creamy texture.
- Add the dal to the onion-tomato masala in the pan. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
- Serve hot with rice or roti.
Notes
- Nutritional Information is the approximate value for 1 of 4 servings.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- This recipe of Black urad dal can be used to make other whole lentils as well like the Indian brown lentils (kali masoor), black chickpeas (kale chane), dew beans (moth) etc.
Nutrition
Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.5g | Protein: 14.3g | Fat: 7.9g | Fiber: 11.1g | Sugar: 2.8g