Sabut Urad Dal | Black Dal

This Sabut urad dal is a simple one-pot dish prepared with black lentils, onions, tomatoes, and various spices. Its texture is soft and creamy with a delicious taste. Urad dal is a favorite lentil for many people, and I’m one of them. It pairs well with basmati rice, chapati, and even naan. So let’s go try this flavorful and yummy sabut urad dal with yourself!

About Sabut Urad Dal

Urad Dal, also known as Kali Dal, is the most common lentil in India. It is the simplest and most liked dish of all North Indians, which requires only some everyday ingredients to prepare. This dal is cooked with onion, tomatoes, spices, and herbs. It’s a simple one-pot dish that tastes delicious & is comfort food at a time.

This dal is one of the favorite lentils in my home. Every family member is a big fan of it. If there is one thing from which we never get bored to eat,i.e. urad dal. It makes 2 to 3 times a week in my home, and everyone enjoys it with their full heart.

There are many other lentils to prepare, like chana dal, masoor dal, and toor dal. All dals are packed with protein and flavor. But this sabut urad dal with its soft & creamy texture gives you another vibe. Serving this black dal with rice or hot chappatis makes this dish a star!

The sabut urad dal involves the soaking time, which I recommend soaking them overnight. This process helps to speed up the cooking process. But if you forget, then soak at least 5 hours, which is highly recommended.

Ingredients

• Black lentils- For this recipe, I used sabut urad. There are other types of urad dal like chilka dal, i.e., split with skin, or dhuli dal, i.e., with no skin. But you need sabut urad for this recipe.

• Onion-I used one medium chopped onion.

• Tomatoes- I grind two medium tomatoes for this recipe. You can also add grated or chopped tomatoes as you like.

• Ginger- I grind 1-inch ginger with tomatoes. You can grate the ginger or grind it with tomatoes.

• Herbs- I like to add chopped coriander leaves to this recipe, which gives a good aroma to the dal. If you don’t like then you can skip it.

• Spices- Here I used all basic spices like: turmeric powder, red chili powder, and garam masala powder.

• Oil- I use mustard oil for making this dal. You can use ghee instead of oil. It also gives you a good taste.

How to make Sabut Urad Dal

Soaking

Take 1 cup of black dal in a bowl and wash it twice or thrice in clear water. Then soak it in water overnight before cooking. Soaking makes dal smoother and easier to digest. Drain the water when you are ready to cook. After draining of water, your dal looks like this.

Cooking

1.Take a pressure cooker and place it on a stovetop. Set the heat to medium. Add 1 tbsp of oil. Include 1 tsp of cumin seeds and 1 bay leaf. Sauté them.

2. When cumin seeds start to sizzle, add chopped onion and saute them until they have a golden texture.

3. Add chopped tomatoes and ginger paste, or chopped green chili. Sauté them until the raw smell of tomatoes is gone.

4. Add soaked urad dal. Use spices like 3/4 tsp of turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp of red chili powder, 1/4 tsp of asafetida, and 1 tsp salt. Add 3 cups of water.

5. Mix all the ingredients well and close the cooker lid. Pressure cook for 4 whistles on medium heat. Before the 5th whistle, reduce the gas stove to a simmer. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, then turn off the heat.

6. When the pressure releases naturally, you see the lentils have cooked.

7. Turn on the gas and simmer if for 5 minutes. Then with the help of a spoon or masher mix them properly so that your dal looks thick in texture. Add more water if need to adjust.

8. Lastly, add 1/4 tsp garam masala powder and 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.

9. Mix them well and turn off the gas, and the sabut urad dal is ready to serve.

Serve this sabut urad dal hot with basmati rice, hot chapatis, or naan. It is the perfect meal for lunch and dinner.

Tips

• Soak the lentils overnight before cooking. This helps them to cook fast.

• You can add the butter as a topping to it if you need a more creamy texture. But if you don’t like to add butter, then you can skip it.