My family spent some time in India when I was a kid, and that was the first time I remember having whole urad dal (also known as black gram/black lentils).
I'm not sure why I didn't grow up eating it all the time but I became enamored of it. You might have had this variety of dal before if you've ever ordered dal makhani, as it is traditionally used in that dish. As an adult, it's a lentil I make sure to always have stored in my pantry.
I love dal/lentils. They are dirt cheap, high in protein, super versatile, a really good source of fiber (sometimes I pretend they are a vegetable to avoid cooking a second dish), and have a ton of really important vitamins and minerals in them. And all those health-benefits aside, I would eat them anyway, because they are delicious and so satisfying.
This recipe is just one way to enjoy urad dal. It is easy and fairly hands off to make, and super tasty.
It's refreshingly gingery and a little spicy (amount of chiles can be adjusted to your personal heat-tolerance, of course). Spiced with curry powder and garam masala it is not only accessible to those with a smaller spice pantry, but it is brimming with that mouth watering Indian curry flavor.
Tomatoes provide sweetness and some mild acidity. Shredded coconut adds body to the final dish and some extra satiety (plus it's good for you!). A healthy squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the flavors along with a handful or two of cilantro (at least for the cilantro lovers out there--that's me!).
This dal can be enjoyed with basmati rice (brown or white!), as well as with Indian bread such as naan. You can throw some chopped spinach in the last 10 minutes of cooking for a fully complete meal. Or serve along side some curry roasted cauliflower (personal fave).
Let me know in the comments if you make this dish, rate it, and tag me on Instagram!
Notes:
- If you don't have access to an Indian grocery store (where urad dal is easily purchased) try substituting a more common lentil that also holds its shape when cooked, such as brown, beluga (black), or french (du puy). Depending on the variety of lentil you substitute, you may have to adjust your cooking time.
- Use less water for a thicker dal, you can always add more later if it gets too thick, but keep a closer eye on it if you do this.
Enjoy urad dal? Try my vegan dal makhani recipe and garlic urad dal fry!
Black Lentil (Urad) Dal
A refreshingly gingery and curry spiced black lentil (urad) dal. This recipe is easy to make, has a pantry friendly ingredient list, and is super healthy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (400 g) whole urad dal, soaked 6-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- 6 cups water
- 2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon coconut or neutral flavored oil
- 1 large onion, small dice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½" (2 tbsp) fresh ginger, minced
- 1-2 chiles, minced, seeded if desired
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes (or 15 oz can)
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- basmati rice, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the lentils: In a large stock pot, add soaked and rinsed lentils and 6 cups of water. Add 2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and then cook partially covered for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt the oil, and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 7-9 minutes, or until the onions are golden and translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, and chiles and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the curry powder and garam masala and stir to coat, for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
- When the lentils are soft, add the tomato, shredded coconut, and the onion mixture to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook another 5-10 minutes uncovered, until desired consistency. If at any point the dal gets too dry, you can always add more water.
- Squeeze in lemon juice, taste, adjust seasoning if desired. Add the cilantro to garnish, and serve hot with basmati rice.
Notes
To cook the urad dal using a pressure cooker: skip the soaking, combine the sorted and rinsed lentils to the pressure cooker with the water and salt. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes and allow it to release pressure naturally for at least 15 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 186Total Fat: 9gSodium: 1005mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 9g
Nutrition is calculated automatically so should be used as an estimate.
Hello again, Chickpea, I'm back!
Another winner!
Dumb question: I'd substituted unsoaked French green (non-Puy) lentils, and without thinking, used the full amount of water in the recipe. Of course, the lentils were done before all the water had been absorbed, so I poured about a cup of liquid before adding them to the tomato/onion mixture. The texture seemed ok, but is there uxually excess water with urad dal that's supposed to stay in the pot?
Whatever, you're on a roll!
You know, there's no one correct way to make dal! Draining out excess water is perfectly acceptable to make a drier dal but leaving it in, or even adding extra water, makes more of a soup. Both are good, so it's just personal preference!
Am I able to obmit or substitute the coconut? I’m really not a fan but really want to make this tomorrow, sounds and looks amazing
Hi Sabrina, you can leave out the coconut. I would use less water at the beginning as the coconut thickens the dal a bit. You can always add more as it cooks if desired!
Great, thanks!
Your recipes are the very best!! I tried this recipe today using puy lentils and OMG the end result was so delicious that I HAD to have seconds.
Hey chickpea,
Can I adapt this to my instapot by frying the onions and stuff first, then throwing everything else in for the lentil program?
Hi Snez, I would expect that would work, though I wouldn’t add tomatoes until the lentils are cooked as they can inhibit softening. I do not have an instapot so can’t speak from experience. If you make this in the instapot please report back!
What is "whole dal"? Isn't "dal" a split seed? Do you mean the whole bean? (I hesitate to call urad seeds "lentils," a word which implies a round, flattened "lens" shape.) Is dal sometimes less whole than a split cotyledon? The market has "urad split" (besides dal and gram) which retains the black skin. Does one distinguish this as "whole" dal?
Hi Jesse, whole urad is essentially a petite bean, whereas split urad is that bean cut in half. In this recipe I used the whole bean (which is often colloquially called dal). Dal also refers to the preparation of the dish, for example dal makhani uses whole urad and kidney beans but is still referred to as dal.
I'm linking the exact product I buy so you can see what it looks like, if that's helpful: https://amzn.to/2LshPJa
I just used your link to order whole Urad beans, it is the same as what I bought at a store in Albuquerque. Thank you.
I have all ingredients, and my beans are soaking. Sounds delicious.
Btw, I add a sprinkle of garam marsala to my hot Rooibos tea, heavenly.
Thanks. This worked perfectly. Tastes amazing.
May I use the split urad beans? do I have to soak them then?
What is the protein and carb facts for the urad dahl recipe?
Hi Marcia, I've added an estimate for the nutrition information under the recipe
Hi, looking forward to making this! Should I adjust anything if using desiccated coconut?
Hi April, I used desiccated shredded coconut in this recipe! So no changes necessary, just be sure to use unsweetened coconut 🙂
A roommate just moved out and left a big bag of "Urad White Whole, Deskinned Black Gram". I'm guessing they're black lentils with the skin removed? Would I be able to use them in this recipe? I hate wasting food so I'm trying to find ways to cook them.
Yes, that’s correct! You can use it in this recipe, it might cook more quickly than the unskinned urad, and the color of the dal won’t be the same but it’ll be good 🙂
Is the 2 cups of urad dal a dry measurement or after they've soaked?
2 cups when dry!
what do you think of adding some coconut milk at the end as it has no cream
You can add some coconut milk if you like. If you're interested a creamy urad dal, you can also try my recipe for dal makhani.
Thank you... I love your recipes. The Urad Dal came out Fabulous.
Are you sure it’s ok to add salt before cooking the lentils? I did that per your recipe and mine are taking forever to get soft
You might have older beans—they may never get soft, sadly.
I made this recipe. I didn’t use coconut. I added chili powder (I’m Indian). I used a pressure cooker to cook the lentils quicker. This is almost how my mom makes lentils! It tasted like traditional Indian dal. Thank you for the recipe!
I increased: garlic, onion, cumin, ginger, chilies and tomatoes.
Added: Tumeric.
I liked this! I made some modifications. Added 500 grams of frozen spinach towards the end. Also added 500 grams of cubed tofu with the tomatoes. Adjusted to tasted with some more chili powder and garlic powder. Sprinkled the fresh cilantro and lemon juice on top too 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
I made this and it was amazing. Best recipe I've found for Dal Makhani. My friends and family loved it. Making it again tomorrow.
to drain or not to drain ... during soak phase and later ... i saw some pakistani videos on youtube which drains water after cooking excess water to make drier dal ... are we not losing any essential nutrients? ... also in most open pot cooking videos they say remove froth that forms on top (obviously pressure cooking has no possibility of removing froth) ... so what is the reason for removing froth ... is froth bad for health?