Punjabi White Daal (धुली उड़द दाल तड़का)

This light and creamy North-Indian white daal is the perfect canvas for an aromatic spice oil.

‘Dhuli Urid Daal’ is a creamy daal made from urid daal. Urid daal is one of the most filling, complex forms of daal which takes longer to digest, keeping you fuller for longer. Urid daal generally comes in two forms, with or without skin. Urid daal with skin comes with a black coating which significantly extends the cooking time. This one is often used for daal makhani, one of the richest, most decadent daals you can make. Urid daal without skin - such as in this recipe - is faster to prepare but still offers some heartiness. It’s the perfect canvas for an aromatic spice oil - a tadka - which I’ll show you how to make also. It’s a perfect staple for the winter. Let’s go!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6x)

• 400g dried urid daal (white daal, without the black skin)

• 1 litre water

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1x thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 50g butter - optional

  TADKA (SPICE OIL)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

• 3x dried red chillies or 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

• pinch of asafoetida/hing - optional

• 1x shallot, diced - optional

• To serve: basmati rice, chapatis, fresh coriander.

WALKTHROUGH

1. First, let’s soak the daal. Place the 400g of urid white daal into a mixing bowl. Wash well with warm water to remove any starch or dust. Cover the daal with a few inches of water and let the daal soak for 2-12 hours at room temperature. This will help the daal to cook evenly and make it easier to digest.

   

2. Once soaked, drain the lentils and add them to a saucepan. Add the 1 litre of water, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander and grated ginger. Place the pan onto medium-high heat and bring the contents to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the lentils are cooked, broken and lightly creamy. Alternatively, you can cook them in a pressure cooker for 12-15 minutes with a natural pressure release.

   

   

3. Once the daal is tender and thickened, taste for seasoning. Adjust the taste with salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice or a pinch of sugar. Once you’re happy, remove from the heat and add 50g butter. Stir gently until the butter has melted and combined with the daal. Set aside.

   

4. Once the lentils are cooked, we can prepare the tadka (spice oil). In a saucepan or frying pan, add the 2 tablespoons of oil/ghee followed by the 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and 2-3 dried, torn chillies. Fry the spices until they’re fragrant and the cumin seeds start to pop and crackle.

   

5. Reduce the heat to low. Add the pinch of asafoetida and chilli powder (if using) and fry briefly for 5 seconds until fragrant.

6. Add the diced shallot and fry until slightly softened - 1-2 minutes - and then turn off the heat. You can add the cooked daal to the tadka (spice oil) or alternatively you can pour the hot tadka over the daal in its serving bowl, allowing it to fizz and splutter as you add it.

   

   

7. Serve the daal with rice, chapatis or alone to eat as a soup. The remaining daal can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days, reheated with a dash of water. Enjoy!