Maa Ki dal/ Kali daal- A traditional Punjabi recipe, using whole urad dal (maa ki dal),simmering the dal slowly with the flavours of onions, ginger , garlic, chillies, and tempering with rich tomatoes ,cream and authentic spices to add loads of flavour and richness.
kali Daal
Back home in Punjab, Maa ki dal/ kali dal/ whole urad lentils is very famous dal. It is called Maa ki dal,Manh di dal, Kaali dal.
It is made using Black gram/ whole urad lentils. This is the same dal that’s used in dal makhani, but the recipe itself is quite different from dal makhani or Maa Rajma Dal, which is a close variation of this dish.
You can find the recipe for maa rajma daal here.
How to cook Kali Urad daal
In this version of Kali daal, we use only Whole urad lentils (Kali urad daal), and no kidney beans. This uses less amount of butter/ ghee, and takes lesser time than the makhani dal.
Soaked overnight, and Cooked in pressure cooker on slow heat, this dal will take approximately 40-45 minutes to cook.
I usually soak all whole lentils overnight, as then the cooking time is reduced and daal is easier to digest. In Fact the right way to cook the whole lentils, and beans is to soak these a night before.
Pro Tip- If you are in a rush, and have not soaked the lentils overnight follow this. Boil the lentils or beans in a cooker for 3-4 whistles. Then open the cooker , add 2-3 ice cubes, and pressure cook again.
Thoroughly wash and rinse the soaked dal before cooking. Add it in the pressure cooker with enough water, and 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds (methre), and cook for 5-6 whistles.When you open the lentils will be tender and soft to touch.
Adding fenugreek seeds is completely optional. It imparts no taste, but really aids digestion.
The traditional cooking for the whole urad daal, required using fenugreek seeds, lots of ginger garlic, asafoetida, as this dal is heavy on your stomach and might cause bloating , but other than adding flavour ,adding these spices helps make digestion of this dal so very easy, and help avoid any stomach problems.
Open, and add a teaspoon of mustard oil, asafoetida powder, Chopped onions, garlic, green chillies and thinly sliced ginger.Pressure cook again for 15-20 minutes on low heat.
Preparing the tadka / tempering for Kali daal
In the meantime prepare the tempering in another pan. Heat ghee, add cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add rest of the chopped onions, Sauté, till the onions are a little fried (read golden). Add rest of the ginger slices, and sauté. Once ginger is golden, add green chillies and the tomato puree .
Once the tomatoes are all cooked, and the tempering starts leaving ghee at sides, add malai (clotted cream). If you do not get clotted cream , you can use regular single cream.
Adding cream to this Kaali daal recipe is optional but if you add cream it enhances the taste, texture and creaminess of this dal.
After adding cream, sauté everything well for 3-4 minutes till the cream is incorporated in the tempering. Add degi mirchi powder mix well and add the cooked dal to this tempering . Check seasoning and adjust as per your taste.
Cover and cook on slow heat, for another 10-15 minutes. You will know the dal is ready, when it is all creamy, and not runny.
Recipe Card
Maa ki dal/ kaali dal/ whole urad lentils
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole urad lentils/ man ki dal soaked overnight in enough water
- 5-6 cups water
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 tbsp pure organic ghee
- 1 tsp mustard oil
- 2 small onions chopped
- 2 inch slice ginger thinly sliced
- 4-5 cloves garlic chopped
- 2-3 green chillies chopped
- 2 small tomatoes pureed
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp red chilli powder (deli mirchi powder)
- a pinch asafoetida powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp malai (fresh cream)/ clotted cream
to garnish
- 1 tbsp homemade butter/butter/ or ghee
- fresh coriander chopped
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash and rinse the dal soaked dal.Add it in the pressure cooker with water, little salt and 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds (methre), and cook for 5-6 whistles.
- Open the cooker, and add a teaspoon of mustard oil, asafoetida powder, Chopped onions, garlic, green chillies and thinly sliced ginger.Pressure cook again for 15 minutes on low heat.
- Once the dal is cooked, check for the consistency. If the dal is too thick, add 1 cup more water.
- In another pan. Heat ghee, add cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add rest of the chopped onions, Sauté, till the onions are a little fried (read golden).
- Add rest of the ginger slices, and sauté. Once ginger is golden, add green chillies and the tomato puree (puree to small tomatoes in a grinder).
- Once the tomatoes are all cooked, and the tempering starts leaving ghee at sides, add malai (clotted cream). If you do not have clotted cream , you can use regular single cream
- After adding cream, sauté everything well for 3-4 minutes till the cream is incorporated in the tempering. Add degi mirchi powder, mix well and add the cooked dal to this tempering . Check seasoning and adjust as per your taste.
- Cover and cook on slow heat, for another 10-15 minutes. You will know the dal is ready, when it is all creamy, and not runny.
- To serve, top it with a drizzle of ghee, or homemade white butter, or any butter. Topping this with ghee or butter makes it more delicious. But it is completely optional .Sprinkle some garam masala, fresh corinader and have it with tandoori roti/ naan bread, and salad.
Notes
Serving suggestions for Kali urad daal
Kali daal is pure comfort food, and it pairs beautifully with both simple and hearty accompaniments. To take it up a notch , add a drizzle of ghee, or homemade white butter, just before serving.Topping this with ghee or butter makes it more delicious.
Sprinkle some garam masala and fresh coriander for garnish.
For a complete North Indian-style meal, serve it alongside a vegetable sabzi, salad, and some cooling yogurt or raita with tandoori roti/ naan, parantha or tawa roti.
The most classic way to enjoy it is with a steaming bowl of basmati rice or Jeera pyaaz rice, a dollop of ghee, and a side of pickles or papad for crunch.
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Please don’t even think to make this recipe in single portion. Directly double the quantity because it’s just soooooo good. I have already made it 3 times, every time it was a big success, however it would be great and easier to follow the recipe, if it was broken down into 3 parts instead of 2 in the ingredient list. It can be a bit confusing how much onion/ginger/asefoetida to use at which step, so study the recipe first, and then make. I rhink due to this I tend to use much more ginger and asefoetida, but as my family loves it, we have no problem with it.
I have made the dish once without fenugreekseed. For us it made a big difference, I suggest don’t skip on this step. I have even tried once with milk instead of Malai, and it worked well with that too. Unfortunately I don’t have access to mustard seed oil, so I have skipped it, and even without it it’s a delicious dish.
As we want to make it richer I have added butter to it at the last stage, it is worth a try.
All put together this is a really good recipe, and I suggest to give a try to literally everyone, as it’s so mildly spiced yet so much of flavour and aroma.
Hi Anubhav, I am drooling over the recipes in your site..I loved this dal recipe and this is awesome..Its simple, yet tempting and one of my favourites..The way you have put your stuff is so nice…Being a new food blogger myself, I will like to connect with you so that we can stay by each other’s side in blogging and get to appreciate each other since also because we are sailing on the same boat i.e. looking for suggestions and traffic.. Please let me know if you are interested in getting connected..Thanks