You can now make the famous Dishoom black dal recipe (their signature dish) in your own kitchen. The recipe is so simple, all that you need is patience – Dishoom restaurant states on their menu that the dal is cooked over 24 hours! The at home version doesn’t take quite as long! Firstly, cook black urad dal until you achieve soft buttery lentils. I use the Instant Pot to cook the whole black urad daal but you can use a pan or stove top pressure cooker. The daal grains should be buttery and soft rather than hard and crumbly. Dishoom’s version, just like Dal Makhani, is cooked over low heat for several hours.
Why you will love this recipe
Use the pressure cooker to cook the dry black dal lentils in a fraction of the time Full of plant-based protein A delicious dish that the whole family will love Easy to follow black dal lentils recipe
Dishoom Black Dal Ingredients
Whole black urad dal – this is easily avaliable in Indian grocery stores or online, and is also known as MATPE beans or sabut urad dal. Garlic paste – fresh garlic cloves are best Ginger paste – I crush fresh root ginger in a mini food processor until fairly smooth. The smoother the better to achieve a creamy makhani sauce Tomato puree or tomato paste – In the UK tomato paste is available in the tube and tins, that is very thick. If using paste then add some water to bring tomato puree consistancy. Salt – the official recipe states fine sea salt. I’ve used regular salt. Deggi mirch chilli powder or use a mix of hot red chilli powder and kashmiri chilli powder Garam masala powder – which is usually made from Coriander Seed Powder, Cumin, Cinnamon, Ginger, Black Pepper, Fennel Seed Powder, Whole Cloves, star anise, Nutmeg, Green Cardamom Unsalted butter or ghee Double cream (heavy cream) – single cream/half and half work too. Note that dishoom’s recipe does not contain turmeric powder or any whole spices such as cinnamon stick and bay leaf. There is also no red kidney beans which are sometimes added to dal makhani from Punjab region.
Urad Black Dal Pro Tips
It is very important that the daal is cooked until soft and creamy. This allows the grains to soften further and break down when simmering, creating a creamy dal. To check, squeeze a grain between your finger and thumb, it should mash without any resistance. The daal should be in date – daal that has become old remains hard even with plenty of cooking time Urad dal often changes colour and becomes green after soaking, this is fine! The ginger, garlic and tomato paste should be completely smooth. Lumps will prevent the finished dal from being creamy. Simmer on low heat but keep stirring occasionally scraping the bottom of the pan. Use a heavy bottomed pan as any other will cause the dal to stick and burn If you follow the steps above to achieve creamy dal, you could get away with adding less butter or ghee if you wish. The right consistency you are looking for is thick but like a runny pourable soup.
How to make Dishoom House Black Daal
1.Wash the dal thoroughly and allow to soak overnight in plenty of water in a large bowl to allow for the dal to expand. Now, you can cook urad dal in a saucepan or in a pressure cooker. Saucepan: Add the dal and water into a large pan and bring to a boil and cook until the dal grains need to become completely soft, with the skin falling away from the white grain. When pressed, the white part should be creamy. When cooked, turn off the heat. Pressure cooker: 2.Add the dal into the pressure cooker and add enough water to cover about 1 inch above the dal. Pressure cook for around 40 minutes if you have an electric pressure cooker. Next prepare the paste. 3.In a bowl, mix the garlic and ginger pastes, tomato puree, salt, and spice powders – red chili powder and teaspoon of garam masala. 4.Pour off the cooking water, then pour on enough fresh water to cover the dal by a few centimetres. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat, then add the spicy tomato paste and butter. 5.Cook on a rapid simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the mixture from sticking. 6.Switch to low heat and simmer for one to one and a half hours more, stirring regularly to prevent it from sticking, and adding a little water if the liquid level gets near the level of the grains. Eventually, the dal will turn thick and creamy. The creaminess must come from the grains disintegrating into the liquid and enriching it, not from the water being allowed to evaporate, leaving only the grains behind. 7.Add the cream and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Serving Suggestion
Serve Dishoom Dal alongside jeera rice and chapatis. You can also make other Indian breads such as tandoori roti or garlic and coriander naan. Go for a dry curry or sabji to make it a complete meal with this aloo gobi matar (cauliflower, potato and green peas) brinjal bhaji or bhindi bhaji Serve poppadom dips, kachumber salad and poppadoms as a side. Mango Lassi is an Indian restaurant special! Dishoom adds a touch of fennel to theirs.
Storage
Store leftover Black dal in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. When reheating any leftover dal, you may need to add a little more liquid to loosen it up. You can freeze the cooked black dal in a freezer safe container. Allow to thaw then reheat thoroughly, adding a small pinch of garam masala to revive the flavours. You can also store cooked black lentils in the freezer, ready to make black dal at a later date. Simply allow to thaw and use directly in the recipe. I tend to cook a double batch of lentils and store away in portions to save on eletricity and and gives me a head start saving on time.
Other Dal Recipes
Sultani Dal Whole Masoor Dal Spinach Chana Dal Dhaba Style Dal Fry Masoor Dal (Red Lentils Dahl) As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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