Kali Dal | Punjabi Black Dal (Maa Ki Dal)

Maa ki Dal recipe with step by step photos. At home all my folks are fond of black lentils (black gram or kali urad dal) or Punjabi kali dal recipe. This delicious and creamy Punjabi lentil dish is made with whole black gram (sabut urad dal), onions, tomatoes and the usual Indian spices. Comforting, filling and satisfying meal when served with phulka, roti, paratha or naan.

In Punjabi these lentils are called Mah di dal or maa di dal or manh di daal. At home everybody called whole black lentils as maa di dal.

Maa ki dal is also known as kali dal, but it is not dal makhani. So let me tell you what is the difference between maa ki dal and dal makhani.

Maa ki dal or kali dal is made from whole black grams (black dal or kali urad dal or sabut urad dal) only. There are many ways of making this black gram dal recipe. It can be spicy or less spiced as well. It is also not a very rich and heavy dish as no extra cream, butter is added to it.

Whereas Dal Makhani is made from a mix of whole black grams, kidney beans (rajma), and some times chana dal. It is a rich dish as it is made with butter, cream and sometimes yogurt too. It is a makhani dish.

Makhani means buttery. The word makhani is derived from the Punjabi word Makhan which means Butter. So dal makhani is a buttery creamy rich dish.

So kali dal or maa ki dal is not dal makhani. They are two different dishes. Just to let you know there is another Punjabi dish called maa chole di dal – this is made from black lentils and chana dal. It is a staple at my home.

Usually, at home I cook Dal fry, Dal tadka, various sabjis, pulao, khichdi, idli, dosa, sambar. For me these are simple, comforting foods.

This recipe of kali dal is a light recipe with a spicy touch to it. I have made this with sunflower oil and no butter or ghee. For a more richer version you can make it with butter or ghee. You could also add some cream in the end if you prefer.

The main ingredients of this star dish besides whole black gram are onions, green chilies, tomato puree and crushed ginger-garlic sauteed with Indian spices.

Generally maa ki daal is cooked and simmered in a pot. In a modern day life we don’t have the luxury and leisure to let our dals cook in pots. The black lentils take a lot of time to cook in a pot.

I have cooked the dal in a stovetop pressure cooker. It is a quick cooking method and what might take hours, just gets done in 30 to 40 minutes. If you have Instant pot then you can also make this dish in it adding water as needed.

Also remember to use fresh lentils as they cook faster compared to aged lentils. I also recommend to soak the lentils for some minutes prior to cooking. Soaking lentils reduces the cooking time and also helps in getting rid of the phytic acid in them.

Maa ki dal goes very well with roti, naan and even rice. So if you are fond of Punjabi dishes, then do try this awesome kali dal recipe. You and your family are going to love it. You don’t have to trust me. You have to make this at home and relish the maa di dal.

How to make Kali Dal or Maa ki dal

1: Pick the sabut urad dal (whole black gram with husks), rinse in water for 2 to 3 times. Later drain the water and soak the lentils in enough water in a bowl for about 30 to 40 minutes.

The soaking time can vary depending on the quality and age of the lentils. Sometimes even after soaking for an hour or so, these aged lentils take a lot of time to cook.

So you can soak sabut urad dal overnight or for some 4 to 5 hours. So if using old lentils or lentils near expiry date, soak them overnight. Later, drain the soaked dal.

2: Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or oil in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Instead of ghee you can also use butter.

Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. Keep the heat to low. When they sizzle and crackle, add 1 medium-sized chopped onion (about ⅓ cup chopped onions).

3: Stirring at regular intervals, fry the onions till light brown or golden on low to medium-low heat.

4: Now add the pureed tomatoes. Stir and mix well. I have pureed or blended 2 medium sized tomatoes in a blender and this yields about 1 cup of tomato puree.

You can easily swap fresh tomato puree with canned tomato puree.

5: Add the crushed ginger and garlic – about 3 to 4 small to medium-garlic cloves and 1 inch ginger crushed in a mortar-pestle. Or add 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste instead.

6: Add all the dry spice powders. In this below photo I have added the following ground spices one by one:

• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder

7: Stir the spice powders and mix well.

8: Then add 1 finely chopped green chili or ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies.

9: Sauté the masala stirring often on a low to medium-low heat till the oil starts to leave or separate at the sides. Take care the masala does not burn while sautéing.

10: Add the drained and soaked sabut urad dal (black gram).

11: Add 3 to 3.5 cups of water and salt as required. Stir and mix well.

Cover the pressure cooker with its lid and pressure cook the dal for some 20 to 25 minutes on medium to medium-high heat till the lentils are soft, tender and thoroughly cooked. When the pressure falls down naturally in the cooker then only open the lid.

Simmer the lentils on low to medium low heat stirring often. Mash some lentils with the spoon whiles the lentils are simmering. This helps to thicken the consistency of the dal.

Cook and simmer till you get a creamy consistency. I kept the maa ki dal a little thin as we prefer thin dals in summer. You can keep the consistency as per your preference.

Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve maa ki dal hot or warm with naan, kulcha, rotis or plain paratha. You can also have it with steamed basmati rice.

This Black Dal recipe from the blog archives first published in April 2012. It has been republished and updated on January 2022.