Today I'm posting the recipe to a variety of daal (lentils) not cooked quite as frequently as other daals in my house, but one that my husband calls 'the king of all daals', Maash ki Daal.

Please don't ask me where he coined this term from because I have no idea and don't even think it's a thing. The point is though, he likes these lentils.

I'll be honest with you and say I've never actually been a big fan of Maash ki Daal. Having said that, I'll enjoy it thoroughly when it's made with a hearty, flavourful base like the one I'm sharing, topped with lashings of butter, fresh coriander. A zesty onion salad on the side and a hot, buttered chapatti also woudln't hurt 😉.

A close up image of Mash Ki Daal plated, garrnished with fresh coriander, chilli flakes, chopped green chilli and slivers of ginger

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❓ What is urad daal?
🔪 Method
🍽️ Serving suggestions
📋 Recipe

❓ What is urad daal?

Urad daal is black gram lentils, split and husked, revealing a smaller, white variety of lentils.

Black gram lentils are, rather confusingly, also sometimes called urad lentils, but the proper Urdu word for it is 'sabut urad daal', or 'whole urad daal'. The white lentils we're cooking with in this recipe are correctly known as just 'urad daal'.

In the image below, it's the white variety on the left that we want. The black variety on the right is the whole, unhusked version, whereas the white variety is the split and husked.

A close up of raw urad lentils (maash ki daal)

A close up of raw sabut urad lentils (whole maash ki daal)

🔪 Method

To begin, prepare the lentils by washing them in water, then ideally soaking them in water for up to an hour before cooking.

To begin, bring a pan of water to a boil, then add the urad lentils, some water and salt. Boil, covered and over a medium heat, for about 25-30 minutes, or until the lentils are al dente - i.e., almost tender. You'll see a lot of froth rise to the top - and the reason behind boiling the lentils and then draining them before adding them to the curry base is so we can remove the froth.

Drain and set aside until ready to be used later in the recipe. Whilst that's cooking, we can start working on the masala base in a separate pan.

Heat up some oil, then add in some finely diced onions. Fry over a high heat until they begin to turn golden, but don't allow them to turn darker.

A pan of urad lentils being boiled, with froth rising to the top

Add in some finely diced tomatoes, ginger, garlic and your spices, alongside a few splashes of water. Sauté this well, using your spoon to break down the mixture into a thick, jammy paste. This will take about 15 minutes, stirring often and adding water to help break down the mixture. Once the onions and tomatoes have broken down into a well-integrated paste, you can move on.

A pan of onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and spices frying

Add the boiled and drained urad daal from earlier into the onion and tomato mixture, alongside green chillies and some water. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

To serve, garnish with some fresh coriander, green chillies, slivers of garlic and chilli flakes. You don't need to use all of these, use what you have to hand - but the garnishes do take this up a huge notch!

🍽️ Serving suggestions

Traditionally, Maash ki Daal is served alongside roti in Pakistan - however, you are free to change that up if you so wish and serve it alongside rice.

If you'd like to serve this alongside another curry, I'd recommend going for a drier, meat curry-based option that would also pair well with roti, such as Gosht Bhuna or Chicken Bhuna.

To serve just this on its own, Maash ki Daal goes fantastic served with an Achaar (pickled vegetables) or any sort of chutney, such as tomato chutney. Try out a tangy tomato-chilli jam if you have some to hand - this one is my ultimate favourite to have stocked up.

Enjoy, with love x

📋 Recipe

Maash Ki Daal - Urad Lentils

A delicious, creamy daal cooked in a typical onion and tomato masala and served with lashings of butter

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 45

Servings:

4.68 from 81 votes

Print Rate

Ingredients

To boil the lentils

1 cup (200 g) raw urad lentils (maash ki daal, washed and ideally soaked for an hour before cooking)
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon salt

For the masala base

⅓ cup (83 ⅓ ml) oil
1 (110 g) medium onion, finely diced
2 (180 g) small tomatoes, finely diced
1 ½ tablespoon garlic, minced about 5 cloves
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon red chilli powder or to taste
1 ½ teaspoon coriander powder
1 ½ teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika Kashmiri red chilli powder or deghi mirch (for colour, optional)
optional garnishes: chopped fresh coriander, chopped green chillies, slivers of ginger, dried red chilli flakes.

Instructions

Boil the urid lentils in an ample amount of water alongside salt and turmeric till al dente (almost cooked through, with a bit of a bite left) - about 25-30 minutes. Once done, drain and set aside. You can go on to making the onion and tomato masala whilst the lentils are boiling.
In a separate pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Sauté this on high heat till they begin to turn lightly golden, stopping well before they turn a dark shade - about 5-7 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, the ginger and garlic all the spices including the cumin seeds and a few splashes of water. Sauté this very well, stirring constantly to help break down the tomatoes. The mixture will become thick and jammy. This may take up to 15 minutes and if the tomatoes are not breaking down well, you may need to add some additional water to continue cooking and breaking down the tomato.
Once the masala has been prepared, add in the cooked urid lentils, the green chilli and ⅔ cup/160ml of water. Bring to a boil and then cook covered with a lid on low for about 10 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
To finish, garnish with any or all of the following: freshly chopped coriander, slivers of ginger, chopped green chilli and chilli flakes.

Notes

You can also serve this with a knob of butter stirred in just before serving.

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Comments

4.68 from 81 votes (81 ratings without comment)

Maash Ki Daal - Urad Dal

❓ What is urad daal?

🔪 Method

🍽️ Serving suggestions

📋 Recipe