Maash ki Dal (White Urad Dal Recipe)

This Pakistani style Maash ki Dal is made with white urad dal, onion, garlic and basic spices. Sukhi urad dal is delicious served with Indian flatbreads. It is finished with green chili and ginger julienne.

Naturally vegan and gluten-free. Stovetop and Instant Pot recipe.

There are so many different ways of preparing white dal. 

This particular white urad dal recipe is called Maash ki Daal and is cooked in an onion tadka with garlic, tomatoes and basic spices. It is a vegan recipe. 

What is urad dal?

White urad lentils, also known as white gram, dhuli urad dal or urad dal, are a variety of lentils widely used in South Asian cuisine. 

These lentils are small, round, and have a pale white color. This skinless white urad dal comes from black lentils or whole black urad dal (sabut urad) - usually used to make Dal Makhani.

White lentils are commonly used in Indian cuisine to prepare a variety of dishes such as dal (lentil soup), masala dosa (a type of savory pancake), and various curries. 

Additionally, these lentils can be soaked and ground to make a smooth batter for dishes like idli (steamed rice cakes) and medu vada (savory fritters) and Dahi Barey (dahi bhalla).

The mild flavor and creamy texture of white urad lentils make them a versatile ingredient in a wide range of culinary applications.

Other dal recipes we love are:

Whole masoor Dal

Gujarati Chana Dal 

Dhaba style Dal Fry

Dishoom Black Dal - made with black gram lentils or whole black gram. 

Gujarati Toor Dal - a popular dish found in most Gujarati Thalis. 

Maash ki Dal Ingredients

You can find these ingredients in indian grocery stores and sometimes large supermarkets.

White urad daal

Base:

Oil - use flavourless oil such as sunflower.

Cumin seeds

Onion, garlic, ginger - crushed in a food processor. I have used fresh, frozen works well too.

Tomatoes - fresh or tinned. You can use tomato puree too.

Spices: red chili powder, turmeric powder, ground cumin and coriander powder, garam masala. I have used Kashmiri red chilli powder, but you can use other red chilli powder as well.

Green chillies and ginger julienne 

Lemon juice - lime juice works too

Salt to taste

How to make Maash ki Daal

Stovetop

Soak the husk less split urad dal in cold water for a few hours or overnight if possible. 

In a pan, heat oil on medium heat and add cumin seeds.

Once they splutter, add in onion, garlic and ginger paste and cook until the mixture becomes golden brown. Add a splash of water in case the mixture appears to burn. 

Add in the spices then the tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to cook until oil appears on the sides and the mixture reduces. 

Tip in the soaked dhuli dal and add fresh water. Add salt to taste. 

Allow the dal to cook on low heat until the grains are just mushy. Ensure you add enough water to prevent the bottom of the pan burning.

Top the cooked dal with fresh ginger julienne, chopped green chili and fresh coriander. 

Instant Pot

To the inner pot follow the steps as above. 

Add a little less water compared to stovetop as pressure cooking requires less. 

Seal the lid and select high pressure for 1 minute. Allow for natural pressure release. Note that cooking time varies on your lentils and how long you soaked them for. 

You can also use a traditional stovetop pressure cooker and cook for 1-2 whistles. 

Serve maash ki dal with tandoori roti. 

Serving Suggestion

To make it a complete meal, serve this Pakistani sookhi urad dal with a vegetable sabji. It's great with aloo shimla mirch, zucchini curry or tindora nu shaak (tindora sabji). 

Go for Indian flatbreads like naan, rotli or whole wheat flour roti. Paratha go great too. 

You might also like jeera rice (made with white rice but you could use brown rice), Indian style onion salad and cucumber raita. 

Storage

Store leftover maash ki daal in an airtight container. Once it has reached room temperature, place in the fridge. Consume within 3-4 days. 

You can freeze this dal in a freezer safe container. Reheat on the stovetop.

Other lentil recipes

Moong Dal Halwa

Garlicky Moong Masoor Dal

Trevti Daal

Moong Dal Ladoo

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!

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Note:- This post was originally posted on 23rd May 2018 but I have updated the post since with helpful content. The recipe remains the same.