Dhaba Dal
A homemade version of Dhaba Dal, a creamy, flavorful dal served at north Indian roadside cafes. Chana dal, urad dal and rajma or red kidney beans along with a few simple spices make this dal both nourishing and delicious!
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 120kcal
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or Instant Pot to cook the legumes
- Dutch oven or large pot
Ingredients
- ½ cup chana dal
- ½ cup urad dal
- ½ cup rajma (red kidney beans)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (divided)
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil (or any oil of choice. To make the dal oil-free saute the ginger-garlic and onions in ¼ cup water or vegetable stock).
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 tomatoes (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (Use less or more per your taste, or sub with paprika).
- 2 tablespoons kasoori methi (crushed in the palms of your hands)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the chana dal, urad dal and rajma in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover the legumes by two inches. Add ¼th of a teaspoon of turmeric. Pressure cook or cook in Instant Pot or saucepan over stovetop until the legumes are very tender. Set aside. (Presoaking the rajma in hot water for an hour or two before cooking with the lentils ensures the legumes cook together perfectly).
- Place the oil in a Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add the onions to the pot and saute until the onions begin to brown.
- Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until tomatoes are very soft and have broken down in a pulp.
- Add the spices to the onions and tomatoes: ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne and remaining ¼th teaspoon turmeric. Crush the kasoori methi in the palms of your hands and add to the pot. Mix well.
- Add the cooked lentils to the pot along with 2 cups of cooking water (or just water) and mix. Remove half the lentils to a blender and carefully blend until smooth.
- Return the blended lentils to the pot and mix. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let the dal simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add more water if the dal is too thick. Add salt to taste.
- Stir in the garam masala and vegan butter. Cook the dal for another couple of minutes, check for salt and add more if needed, then turn off heat. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 291IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg