Urad Dal Recipe

Urad dal recipe with step by step photos. Sharing a delicious Punjabi recipe of dry urad dal which makes for an excellent protein rich dish with rotis or phulkas. If it has become too monotonous for you to have your lentils or dals in a stewy or curryish way, then you must try this Sukhi Urad Dal recipe. A vegan recipe.

In North Indian cuisine, there are some dry dishes made with lentils and legumes. Most of these dry lentil dishes are made without adding onion and garlic. There are many variations and lentils-legumes like urad dal, rajma (kidney beans), chana (white and black chickpeas), chana dal, lobia (black eyed beans) are used.

I am sharing my mom-in-laws recipe to make this dry urad dal. This recipe is very simple and uses all your basic spices. There’s just asafoetida, red chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder in it. The quantity of green chilies can be more or less, depending on how spicy you like your food to be.

We usually have this sukhi urad dal with chapatis and accompany lemon and a few slices of onion with it. Even though onion and garlic is not added in the dish, we do pair it with onion slices while serving. Though you can skip onion while serving.

This urad dal can be served as a side dish with rotis. You can even pack dry urad dal in tiffin box.

How to make Urad Dal Recipe

1. Rinse 1 cup urad dal a few times in fresh water. Then soak urad dal in enough water for 4 hours.

Soaking urad dal is very important in this recipe. Otherwise while cooking the urad dal if not soaked, can get mushy and pasty. Soaking the urad dal also reduces the cooking time.

2. After 4 hours, drain all the water. Rinse the urad dal very well in fresh water. Drain the water and keep the urad dal aside.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Keep the heat to a low and then add 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). Mix well. Do make sure that the asafoetida does not get burnt.

4. Next add the urad dal. Mix well.

5. Now add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped or slit) and ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder.

I have added both green chilies and red chili powder, but you can use either green chilies or red chili powder. If using only red chili powder, then you can add ½ teaspoon of it.

6. Mix again very well.

7. Season with salt according to taste.

8. Add ¼ cup water.

9. Stir and mix again.

10. Pressure cook the urad dal on a low to medium-low flame or sim for about 7 minutes or 2 whistles.

11. Once the pressure settles down, then only open the lid of the cooker and check the urad dal. The urad dal should be cooked well and yet separate.

If the urad dal is not cooked, then add some more water and pressure cook for 1 whistle more.

12. Add ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder. Mix again.

Serve sukhi urad dal hot or warm with rotis or phulkas. While serving we usually garnish with chopped coriander leaves, but I did not have coriander leaves. Also do squeeze some lemon juice on top while having the urad dal.

If you are looking for more Urad Dal recipes then do check:

• Dal makhani
• Dal Bukhara
• Amritsari Dal
• Urad Dal Kachori

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This Urad Dal Recipe post from the archives first published in June 2017 has been republished and updated on January 2023.