Lentils are delicious and nutritious making it an important diet staple the world over. Not only are they cheap and shelf stable, they are a great product to keep in your pantry in case of emergency. Most of them are fairly quick and simple to prepare. Unlike other lentil preparations which usually have a soup-like consistency, today’s lentil recipe is dry and a very common dish in all Punjabi homes. This recipe uses dhuli urad. It is the white version of skinless and split black lentils. Even though in Punjab it is only made with dhuli urad you could use any split husked lentils for this recipe. But remember, all lentils have different taste, and texture obviously the taste and cooking time will vary if you use different kind lentil.
The recipe is really simple, but the technique is the key. To use daal in this dry preparation it has to be ‘bloomed’ in water which improves the texture of the finished dish. Start with cooking onion, ginger and earthy cumin seeds in olive oil and then add bloomed daal. Add red chili powder as well as green chili for a spicy kick and lemon juice for a sour finish. It is flavorful as it is and you don’t need to add anything extra other than cilantro at the end of cooking for a fresh flavor. It goes perfect with any curry, some flatbread and a simple salad of quick pickled onions for an easy peasy meal. You might want to make extra because the leftover daal is great in bulking up a salad or as filling in sandwiches or pita for a light lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 cup split, skinless urad daal, washed and soaked in warm water for 2 hours
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 3/4 tsp red chili powder
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice
- salt to taste
- 3/4 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and sauté till it changes color.
- Once the seeds begin to splutter, add the onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or till they are lightly browned.
- Add ginger, turmeric and chili powder, fry for a minute.
- Add the drained daal, salt and 1½ cups water. Bring it to boil, Stir, cover and reduce heat.
- Simmer till daal is fully cooked and water is absorbed. (Make sure the lid is sealed tight because there's so little water, the steam will be doing the cooking. Check if it is cooked. If not then add a tbsp or two of hot water and let it cook with lid on. Don’t let it overcooked) As the dal dries, it might stick to the bottom of the pan. If that happens, use a spatula to gently scrape the pan. Take care not to mush the daal.
- Every grain of daal should be intact in shape but soft to bite.
- Add lemon juice, garam masala, cilantro and green chilies and mix with a fork (as you fluff the rice).
- Transfer the daal into a serving bowl and serve hot with roti, curry and salad.
- Its also good for filing in pita or sandwiches for lunch.
Notes
Soaking the daal is really important so that you don’t end up overcooking it on the stove.
Pinterest Update
I did hear back from the Pinterest support team after I wrote an email to them. They suggested two solutions which I am not sure are relevant to my site but since I am not a tech person I am looking for a developer who can look into this issue.
I am bringing this punjabi dry lentil recipe to cookblogshare @easypeasy foodie . And also to worldlinky party @ Jess eats and Travels. and Corina’s April Linky, Cook once eat twice.
Shubha
I have never prepared urad dal this way.. but have bookmarked this recipe..will try soon:)
Angie@Angie's Recipes
I would happily enjoy this as the main! Just love anything legumes!
Mandy
Love the look of this, must give it a try soon. I remember eating some incredibly delicious food in Punjab when I passed through there a few years ago!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
This sounds delicious! I really love spicy lentil dishes 😀 Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Eb x
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
P.S. Sorry to hear you are having Pinterest problems. Just thought you’d like to know that I used Tailwind to pin your pin and it worked fine!
marcie
I love lentils so much! They’re so hearty and healthy and like you said — they’re cheap! This dish looks delicious!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
I do love daal and this is simple. Can’t wait to try it! Hang in there!
Corina Blum
This looks delicious and it’s nice to see a dry lentil dish for a change. I would love to try it. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Jessica
I’d definitely love to try this dish, probably without the coriander though as I’m not a fan. I do hope you get your Pinterest sorted! Thanks for linking up to my World Food linky! x
Balvinder
Thank you, Jess! I know there are some people who do not like cilantro but it’s easy to swap with parsley.
Emma - Bake Then Eat
I would enjoy this as a main, what a lovely way to prepare lentils.
The Girl Next Door
I love the look and sound of this dry sabzi. Coming from a South Indian family, I’ve never had a chance to taste this, but this sabzi looks so delectable! I’m surely trying this out! 🙂