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Pakistani Style Kali Dal (Black Lentils)

5 from 3 votes
A heartwarming and satisfying dal with a smoky and punchy tadka of onion, garlic, red chiles and cumin seeds.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani Cuisine
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

Daal
  • 1 cup whole masoor dal (brown lentils) rinsed in several changes of water and soaked for 1 hour or overnight.
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 ½ teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 1 ½ teaspoon crushed ginger
  • ¼ medium-sized yellow or white onion halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper halved
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
Tadka
  • ¼ medium-sized yellow or white onion halved and thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 dried red chilies
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

Equipment

  • 1 Medium-sized saucepan or skillet
  • 1 Small-sized frying pan

Method
 

  1. Add lentils, salt, sliced onion, crushed garlic and ginger, half of the black pepper and all ground spices up until the tadka in a medium-sized lidded saucepan. Pour 5 cups of water and stir until well-mixed. Bring to a boil and lower to a gentle simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and let the dal cook until the lentils break easily with a fork, about 40 to 50 minutes.
  2. Once the lentils have soften, remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high. Mash the lentils against the saucepan with a wooden span until you get a creamy consistency. Top with the remaining black pepper, and let the lentils cook, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes until it thickens some more. Remove from heat and place in serving bowl.
Tadka
  1. When ready to serve, get the tadka ready. In a small frying pan, heat oil over medium to medium-low heat until it begins to shimmer. Place the onions and let them cook until they begin to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add sliced garlic, and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it begins to brown at the edges. Take care to not let the onions and garlic get too dark. Add cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds before adding the dried red chiles. As soon as they change color, remove from heat and pour over dal.