Maah di dal
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
Whole black urad dal simmered for hours with ginger, garlic and tomatoes and finished with ghee or white butter, the everyday dal of Punjab.
Region: PunjabOccasion: Everyday lunch and dinner; weddingsTime: 3 hours + overnight soakingServes: 5Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole black urad dal (sabut maah)
- 2 tbsp rajma (kidney beans), optional
- 1 tbsp ginger paste and 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, puréed
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 tbsp ghee and 2 tbsp white butter
- Salt to taste
Method
- Wash and soak the urad dal and rajma overnight.
- Pressure-cook with 5 cups water, salt and half the ginger for 8–10 whistles until the grains are soft and break when pressed.
- Heat ghee, add cumin, then onion, and fry until golden. Add the rest of the ginger and the garlic, then the tomato purée and chilli powder. Cook until the ghee separates.
- Pour the tempering into the dal and simmer on very low heat for at least 1 hour, stirring and mashing a little now and then, adding hot water if it gets too thick.
- Stir in the white butter before serving with roti, naan or rice.
History
Whole urad dal (maah) has long been the most loved dal of Punjab. In villages it was left to cook slowly overnight on the embers of a clay hearth or tandoor, which gave it a deep, smoky taste.
Significance
Maah di dal is cooked on most Punjabi festive occasions and is the base from which the restaurant dish dal makhani grew.