Ma Ki Daal Lentils

Ratna Sarkar’s Ma Ki Daal

Cooking with whole urad dal is tricky; after 6-7 attempts, I finally must say this dish is not for beginners and will probably require a pressure cooker to get it just right.  Several Indian friends will help me troubleshoot the problems with getting the texture and taste in the recipes on this page.  In the meantime, try one of the other lentil recipes, like Spicy Dahl using western-style flat gray-green lentils and easy-to-find western spices.

  • Sabut urad dal (whole black lentils with chilka)
  • Rajma (red kidney beans)
  • Tomato paste
  • Dahi, aka plain yogurt
  • Ginger – small piece, julienned
  • Ginger garlic paste
  • Salt
  • Lal mirchi (red chili) powder
  • Haldi (turmeric)
  • Onion – cut into d’s
  • Butter or ghee for tadka (a garnish: spices heated in oil and added to Indian recipes shortly before serving)

I do not use a pressure cooker, hard to control the cooking of the daal, this recipe not good if daal is mushy – looks an awful mess too.

Boil daal, lots of water (can start with 4 times the water as daal, and may have to add lots more as cooking proceeds), salt, haldi, mirchi and ginger garlic paste.

When daal is ½ done, add dahi, tomato paste, rajma and adjust water and seasoning. Let cook on med/low flame, covered until daal is fully cooked.

Heat ghee, fry onion and julienned ginger and put tadka on daal . Note, no jeera (cumin), heeng (hing, Asafoetida or Giant Fennel Seed) etc! Let cook some more until all ingredients incorporated.

NOTE: 3 katoris daal + 1 can red beans drained + 10 oz dahi + 1.5 onions + 2 in. ginger piece  =  3 32-oz containers of thick daal. (it should be served pretty thick).  For US-born chefs, a katori is approximately 6-7 oz.

Fat Free Kitchen’s Maa Ki Dal

http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/wholegrains/maa-dal.html

Ingredients for your shopping list:

  • 1/2 cup urad dal sabut – black skinned lentils, white inside
  • 1/4 dried cup Kidney beans
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped (optional if using Hing and cooking to follow Jain specifications)
  • 1 tomato, chopped or pureed or 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1 green Chili, chopped (can use a  jalapeno)
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped coriander leaves, aka Chinese parsley or cilantro
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil  or ghee – clarified butter
  • 1 teaspoon Indian-style red chili powder or 1 Tablespoon Western-style chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala (pre-mixed blend of spices common to Indian recipes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or use less salt to taste
  • 1 small grain (1 pinch) Hing, also called Asafoateda – stinky spice that when cooked replicates the flavor of garlic and onion in strict Jain and some Hindu cooking

Summary:

Mix and wash thoroughly the lentils and kidney beans.  (*Unless you are using a pressure cooker, soak for 2-3 hours first).  Cook on medium heat in large skillet until beans become soft, about 25 minutes* and then remove from heat. Make a paste by adding a little water to the remaining vegetables (all except chopped tomatoes or tomato paste) and spices in a small food processor or mini chopper. In a new skillet, heat oil and fry the spice paste for 5-7 minutes over medium heat. Add tomato paste, stir and cook for another 1 minute. Add the cooked and still warm dal to the spice and vegetable pot. Remove from the heat and mix the lime juice. Add milk and stir thoroughly. Garnish with coriander leaves.

*25 minutes….hmmm, this sounds right since the beans are small, but if you don’t soak the lentils and kidney beans 2-4 hours first, it takes up to hours for them to soften and you have to keep adding water, which seems to leach out their flavor.  The beans must be soft before adding the fried spices.

Gujarati-style Urad Daal

When searching various recipes to trouble-shoot went wrong with the previous recipe, I found this recipe for Gujarati-style Urad Daal and the photos look delicious.  It does not include the red kidney beans, so it is not the same as Ma Ki Daal.

Ingredients for your shopping list:

  • 1-1/4 cups whole urad daal, soaked in warm water for 2-4 hours
  • 3 cups hot water (or more to cook the lentils if you don’t have a pressure cooker)
  • 1-1/2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 4-5 hot green chillies, minced (or to taste)
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 1/2 cup tomatoes, pureed
  • 2 Tablespoons ghee (clarified butter), or oil for a vegan option
  • 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried, powdered sour mango (amchur) or 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • Extra 2-3 cups hot water
  • 1/2 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (optional) – even stored in nested airtight containers, this stinks so badly, I had to move it outside and finally got rid of it all together.  Asafoetida tastes much better than it smells when cooked, and it replaces the flavors of fresh onion and garlic which are prohibited for members of Jain and Brahmin castes.

Summary:

Boil daal in plenty of water until just soft. Heat the ghee or oil in a large non-stick skillet, fry mustard seeds until they pop, then add cumin seeds, curry leaves (and asafoetida if using). Next add tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chilies and cook on medium heat 5 minutes. Add turmeric, cook one more minute then add back in drained, cooked urad daaland 2-3 cups of hot water. Stir constantly until creamy, then add salt and sour (amchur powder or lemon juice) seasonings.  Stir in most of the cilantro (coriander leaves) and sprinkle the rest on top, serve warm.