A simple but delicious and spicy urad dal or black lentil dahl is the perfect dish for a weeknight or weekend dinner. You don't need any special spices, just garam masala, to make the dal. Serve with basmati rice for a nourishing, comforting meal.
In India's many regional cuisines, each ingredient plays an important and intricate role in creating the complexity of any given dish. Take dal, for instance. There are tens of thousands of ways to make a dal, and the diversity of flavor in each dal recipe begins, at the most basic level, with the type of lentil you use.
Most Indian cooks have a dozen or so lentils in their pantry at any time, give or take a couple, each with a distinct flavor and texture. But the legumes you'll find featured most commonly in dal recipes (apart from beans) are chana dal (Bengal gram dal), tuvar dal (pigeon peas or yellow split peas), masoor dal (pink lentils), urad dal (black lentils) and moong dal (green gram dal).
Certain regions have a stronger preference for certain lentils. For instance:
- In Maharashtra, the state where I grew up, we'd usually make our dals with toor dal or tuvar dal (here's a quickie and delicious dal recipe I make on the fly for dinner).
- Bengalis tend to use chana dal more frequently, in recipes like the delicious Cholar Dal.
- Tamilians use moong dal, masoor dal and tuvar dal to vary the flavors and textures in the family of south Indian dals called sambar and kootu, and urad dal in idli and dosa.
- North Indians use urad dal to make Dal Makhani and Maa ki Dal.
For the Spicy Urad Dal or Black Lentil Dal recipe I am sharing with you today I, of course, used urad dal (vigna mungo). Think of this urad dal recipe as a quickie version of vegan dal makhani, but just as tasty. The urad dal is combined with herbs and warm garam masala spices, and you smooth out all the flavors at the end with a dollop of vegan butter.
I like blending half the cooked dal before I add it to the pot, because it makes the dal really creamy. You can skip this step, or just use the ladle to mash up some of the dal.
Ingredients for spicy urad dal
- Urad dal or black lentils: Also called vigna mungo, these tiny white lentils can be bought online or at Indian or Asian stores.
- Turmeric: A dash of turmeric adds color and healthfulness to the dal.
- Cayenne or paprika. You can also use Kashmiri chilli powder, or any other red chilli pepper powder you have on hand.
- Tomatoes. Tomatoes add tang and also spike up the veggie component in this dish!
- Ginger and garlic. You can make your own paste or if you have my ginger garlic paste on hand use a heaping tablespoon instead.
- Oil. Any neutral oil like avocado oil or sunflower oil is fine.
- Kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves), optional. Kasoori methi, with its pleasantly bitter notes, adds a lovely finish to this dal, making it taste restaurant-style.
- Cilantro. Cilantro, added as a garnish, adds a pop of color and freshness.
Top tips
- When buying urad dal you will find four different kinds at the store: the split white dal, most commonly called urad dal; the whole legume, unsplit, called urad gota, the split lentil with the black skin still on, and the whole lentil also with skin on. You can use any of these in this dal recipe and you'll get the same result. Split lentils will cook faster, so if you have a choice, buy those.
- Cook the urad dal lentils until very tender. The best way to do this is in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. But if you don't have either, add all the ingredients in step 1 to a pot, cover the lentils with at least an inch of water, bring to a boil, turn the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for at least 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are very soft.
- I add a soupçon of sugar to this urad dal recipe, which is a common technique used by Indian cooks to balance out flavors. There's spicy, tangy, salty and bitter (from the dal and kasoori methi) in this recipe, and a teaspoon of sugar adds depth and rounds out the flavors nicely.
Serve
This spicy urad dal is delicious with brown rice, basmati rice, or jeera rice. Serve a simple Indian style stir-fry or sabzi, like Bombay potatoes or cabbage curry on the side.
You can also serve the dal with roti or vegan naan.
More vegan dal recipes
Recipe card
Spicy Urad Dal
Ingredients
- 1 cup urad dal (black lentil dal)
- 1 inch knob ginger (grated)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (or paprika for less heat)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 10 cloves garlic (minced or grated)
- 3 medium tomatoes (pureed. Canned puree is fine too, use 1 cup)
- 1 to 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, but adds a bit more depth. You won't taste the sugar)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add enough water to cover the lentils by an inch. Cook or pressure-cook the dal along with the ginger, cayenne or paprika and turmeric until tender and mushy. If you want a creamy dal, blend half the cooked dal into a smooth puree and add back to the remaining dal.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan
- Add the garlic and stir quickly for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until the puree darkens, about five minutes.
- Add the cooked urad dal, garam masala powder (use more or less based on your preference and the brand you have) and the kasoori methi (crush it between your fingers as you add it to the pot). Stir to mix.
- Add water or vegetable stock if the dal is too thick. Bring the dal to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add salt to taste. Stir in the vegan butter and add chopped coriander leaves. Turn off the heat.
- Serve hot with rice or rotis.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Shahana Shafiudin says
Good one.
Vaishali Honawar says
Yay!!
Christiane says
Hi Vaishali
I made your Spicy Urad Dahl 2 days ago.
This one is a winner with me. I just love the combination of ingredients, and the addition of kasoori methi has elevated it to another level.
Thank you.
Vaishali Honawar says
So happy to hear, Christiane!
Shahana says
Good recipe
Vaishali Honawar says
Awesome!
Linda says
Enjoying my day off in the kitchen making my favourite ethnic meals. This Spicy Urad Dal is a tasty blend of flavours I will be making a Brussel sprout curry and rice as sides
Vaishali Honawar says
Sounds like a divine meal! Yum.
Sarah RODRIGUEZ says
This was very tasty and simple. I soaked my dal in hot water fr 15 min and cooked it on the stovetop. I enjoyed it with some store bought Naan and the Bombay potatoes recipe. It was fulfilling and delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Vaishali Honawar says
Sounds delicious! I love that you paired it with Bombay potatoes. ❤️
Michael says
Loved the recipe! Please add to the recipe the amount of water needed for pressure cooking the dal; I used a little over two cups.
Vaishali says
Thanks for your comment, Michael, it's so good to hear you loved the dal. The rule of thumb is that the dal should be an inch under water, but I'll try to clarify in the recipe. 🙂
Allie says
Great recipe, delicious. Thank you!
Vaishali says
So happy you loved the dal!
Mardi Noble says
Re Spicy Urad Dal
I have been cooking Indian meals for 50yrs and this recipe is fantastic and my guests always want this recipe
Please continue to send me your recipes
Sam says
When are you supposed to add the optional sugar?
Tom says
Loved it
Lon Bon says
Vaishali, Thank you sooooo much for such an easy AWESOME recipe. Made this morning and it turned out great. I followed suggestions on adding 1 tsp cumin (I wanted to punch up the flavor just a bit) and next time I think I will put 1 tsp garam masala instead of 2 tsp (each to her own, ha! ha!) I used moong dal because that's what I had and it still was GREAT!! I used 1 cup dried moong dal, 2 tsp oil, and 1 tsp salt, and 4 cups water in my InstaPot. (Added the other ingredients that you said to add to the pot as well). The dal absorbed most/all of the water so no need to drain and my dal was already creamy so no need to blend. I cooked on High for 10 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release. Perfection! 🙂 Again, thank you and keep the awesome recipes coming!!!!!
Mindy says
My absolute favorite dal!
Linda says
I have made a similar recipe in the past which was tasteless. This recipe is restaurant quality and quick to make. I omitted the butter as it didn’t require it. Blending 1/2 the urad after cooking makes it nice and creamy. I soaked the urad overnight then cooked in Instapot for 20 minutes. I think this way the flavours were picked up into the lentils
Catherine Long says
I’ve made this quite a few times now and every time it works well and is delicious. I love the flavours. It’s easy to cook. I don’t have fresh kasoori methi so I’ve been using 1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds (I add them early) . I’m sure it would be so much better with fresh leaves but it still works.
JIHAD BILAL says
Hi Vaishali. Today was the second time I made this dish using your recipe. I had vegetable broth left from my first time and used it today.
-
I don't like to use a pressure cooker as a few years ago I burned my skin because I did not know how to operate it. I like to use stove-top cooking. Yes takes longer but the food is simmered slowly and I think it tastes better.
-
The taste and texture were excellent. Everyone in my family liked it and wanted to have seconds. Thank you for an excellent recipe. We love it!!!
Vaishali says
Hi, so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Totally fine not to use a pressure cooker, although Instant Pots have made pressure cooking much easier now. 🙂
Agata says
How long would you cook it in the instant pot?
Vaishali says
Hi Agata, 10 minutes of pressure cooking!
Inge says
This dal is delicious. I ended up cooking it quite a long time, at least an hour, and it just got better and better. I had to double the spices to get the right flavour, but loved the trick with the sugar. This is going to be one of our favourite Indian recipes.
Vaishali says
Inge, that's awesome to hear!
Nicole says
Hi! This recipe looks great. Thank you! How long do you recommend cooking the lentils in the pressure cooker?
Vaishali says
Hi Nicole, as pressure cookers vary so widely I can't give you an exact time, but you can look at manufacturer instructions. In an Indian style pressure cooker that has a "whistle" or "pressure regulator" I'd cook it for three whistles. In one where it starts to hiss loudly after reaching pressure I'd prob give 10 minutes. In an Instant Pot cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. But best course would be to look at the manufacturer booklet and see what they recommend for your specific cooker.
Marija says
Dish looks great but I live in Split, Croatia and would like to know how and where to buy mungo dal, toor dal, urad dal? Hope to receive your kg nd reply, with kindedt regards, Marij
Vaishali says
Hi Marija, I don't know much about Croatia, but if you have an Indian community nearby you will likely have a grocery store where you can source these ingredients. They are also easily available online in many countries, although I am not sure about Croatia. Sorry I can't be much help, but if another reader has a better answer we'd love to hear.
Jo BH says
Made this tonight and absolutely loved it! Added in a tsp of ground coriander and ground cumin plus a handful of chopped tomatoes with the puree. Really good recipe. I could only get whole urad lentils so soaked overnight and they took an hour to cook but seriously worth the effort. Great flavours - thank you!
Jini says
Thanks for this recipe. I had a few challenges and wanted your opinion. Firstly - I used whole urud dahl with the skins removed (white whole) which I cooked in the pressure cooker. I think they overcooked so when I blended it just became like a thick soup consistency. Should the Dahl have some granularity to it still?
Also the colour came out yellow and not this creamy brown colour - is that because I didn't use the Dahl with the skin on? Or is it to do with the tomatoes or spices?
Dave Big Chief says
I think "canned puree" might mean different things in each country. I think it is a cup of sieved tomatoes. Puree is double concentrated in the UK so it would be 1/4 cup with 2/3 cup water...
Other than that -- the recipe is pretty spot on. Maybe consider 1 tsp each of cumin and coriander powder... also depending on the garam masala I would consider 1 tsp max, if it is pretty fresh and good quality.
Michael Kamboures says
This is excellent. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out better than what I've had at any restaurant. Thank You!
liv says
I've made this about four times so far and I love it! Really beautiful depth of flavor, most of which comes from the lentil cooking process, and it's super easy. I puree about half the lentils and it gives it a great texture. I have urad gota (the unsplit), so I have to soak my lentils for 2-4 hours; I've found that if I don't soak beforehand, the lentils will be a little al dente no matter how long I cook them.
For those of you asking how much water to use: the instructions given here are correct, you don't need an exact measurement, they just need to be covered with an inch or two of water. To control the amount of liquid in the dish, I just reserve the cooking water and use that to thin the dish before I move on to thinning with water or stock
Rubina Aziz says
Hi there Liv,
My urad dhal is white and have an electric cooker. In her recipe she just says to cook it on her pressure cooker.,.surely I need to rinse it a few times before soaking for at least 30mins..?
Carolyn E says
I have saved this recipe for ages. Finally got all the ingredients and am doing it for tonight. Do I need to soak the rad. I ended up with unsplit beans. Thanks !
Erin says
I love the many flavours of this beautiful dal. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Prathima says
Hi Vaishali! Thank you for the recipe. I want to try it. Do you need to soak the urad Dal before putting it in the pressure cooker?
Stephanie says
Thank you for the recipe! The dal are in the instant pot currently. I’m using dried kasoori methi for the first time. I see about half fine stems and half leaves. Should I try to pick some of the stems out or leave? Do you ever grind the kasoori methi? Thank you, I love your site!
Vaishali says
You don't have to grid it in a blender, just crush between your fingers! The stems are fine so long as they aren't woody. Hope you enjoy the dal! 🙂
SUNITA SHINDE says
How long to pressure Cook?
Violetta says
I would like to cook this dish, but can you tell how much water for one 1 cup of lentils and how long you cook in pressure cooker and if you have to settings , should I use the low or high. Thanks in advance.
Dave Big Chief says
I cook this regularly and use 1 cup of black dahl with 3 cups water and cooks for 40 mins on high, unsoaked with slow release... then stir to get really creamy. You could probably do it in 25 mins, if you want the lentils to have more of a bite.
Georgina says
I love it !
Thank you for sharing
Givi
Vaishali says
So happy you liked it! 🙂
Stephanie Chalmers says
I also would like to know how much water for one 1 cup of lentils and how long you cook in pressure cooker. If so, what settings? Low or high? Can I use honey or stevia or maple syrup instead of sugar.
Also, do I soak them first and for how long if so.
Thanks in advance.