This Punjabi Maa ki Daal is what I grew up with. It was this special dal which was slow cooked for hours and the taste and texture of the dal was so delicious, when eaten with some piping hot rice!
The Punjabi Maa ki Daal basically uses black urad dal, with a tablespoon full of Rajma which provides such excellent texture to it.
Punjabi Maa ki daal is similar to Dal makhani in many ways, as it uses the same lentils. The whole urad dal with skin and a couple of Rajma’s throw in. However this one is much lighter in terms of its preparation and gets most of its flavours from the slow cooking over hours. A speciality in Punjabi household, this one is often preferred over the popular Dal Makhani which is left to be savoured at restaurants or is considered to be THE dal for celebration meals.
This is the dal I grew up with, which used to be a part of Sunday brunches and special dinners. This is also the dal which got made every Karwachauth without fail. According to a karwachauth tradition, the lady fasting should not using a knife or a scissors and this one requires ZERO chopping. May be the tradition was made because it was thought that the lady fasting would be too tired to go chop-chop-chop and this slow cooked Maa ki Daal ensured she didn’t have to work too hard to cook that day! Who knows what the logic behind the tradition is!
Anyway, here is a daal which is absolutely worth making on an easy relaxed day, this dal cooks itself you just need to stir it once in a while.
Have you checked out these daal recipes on the blog?
Punjabi Maa ki daal (Slow cooked Black Urad Lentil)
Ingredients
- 1 cup urad dal Black with skin
- 1 tbsp Rajma
- 4 tomatoes whole
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp jeera seeds
- 1 tsp Mirch Kashmiri
- 1 tbsp coriander Powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Wash the dal and rajma well for about 2-3 times and then soak in water for atleast 8 hours or overnight. The longer you soak is the better is the texture of the dal. I have seen my granny soak this dal for close to 24 hours, changing water every 8 hours
- In a heavy bottom pan (or a slow cooker if you have) bring to boil 5 cups of water with salt. Add the pre soaked dal and rajma to it and let it simmer till it cooks. Add the tomato and ginger to the same. This could take anywhere between 4-5 hours. The dal gets it flavours from the slow cooking. However, if you are in a hurry, you can use the pressure cooker to fasten the process.
- Once the dal is cooked, mash the dal and tomatoes a little bit. We don't want to make it mushy, just mash enough to turn into thick consistency.
- In a small pan, heat ghee and once hot add the jeera seeds. Saute till the turn slightly brown. Add all the dry masalas and roast for 1 minute taking care not to burn anything.
- Add to the dal and boil it further for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot with tandoori rotis or steamed rice.
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