When you talk about comfort food in Pakistan, people always bring up daal. They however, are mostly talking about masoor ki daal rather than kaali daal.
I would have masoor ki daal for every meal when I was a broke graduate student. In DC, I would make it every time I came back from work late. My husband would insist on having it as a complement to every meal we cooked. And because daal is such a generous, abundant dish, it would inevitably make its way to my lunchbox at work.
And so I grew to hate it.
It's a controversial position, I know. But when you have had it nearly three (four or five) times a week for the past eight years of your life, you're bound to grow tired of it.
And so I decided to bring kaali daal back. It was a lunch staple in my home in Islamabad but is often overlooked as a "dish to learn" when you move away.
It takes longer to cook than but when done right, it's just as tasty as masoor ki daal. The recipe below was generously shared by my old neighbor and mom's good friend, Fazila Aunty's fabulous home cook, Aziz.
What to Pair with Kaali Daal
Kaali daal is always meant to be served with plain white basmati rice. To complement it, I would suggest pairing it with:
- Easy, no fry ground beef kebabs
- These delicious potato cutlets
- If you are looking for a lighter side, this simple, bright patta gobi (fried cabbage) works really well
- Or this beautiful, delicate side of fried okra
Kaali Daal (Black Lentils)
Ingredients
Daal
- 1 cup black lentils rinsed (they are sometimes called green lentils in American stores)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ medium-sized yellow onion thinly sliced in half rings
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 2 teaspoon red chili powder (preferably Kashmiri red chili powder)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Tadka
- ¼ medium-sized yellow onion thinly sliced in half rings
- ¼ cup oil canola/sunflower/vegetable
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 dried red chilies
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
Instructions
- Add the lentils to a medium-sized sauce pan, add 5 cups water and bring to a boil.
- Once the water has come to a boil, add ½ of the onion, turmeric, red chili powder, salt and pepper.
- Give the daal a quick stir, cover it with a lid and let it cook undisturbed for 35-40 minutes, until soft.
- About 20 minutes in, start getting the tadka (tempering) ready. Heat oil in a frying pan. Once it begins to shimmer, add the remaining chopped onion. Fry on high heat until it starts to brown. Add the garlic and fry until it slightly changes color. Add cumin seeds and stir until fragrant (while keeping an eye on the onions and garlic, making sure they don’t burn). Add chilies and fry for a few seconds. Remove from heat.
- Once the tadka is ready, check your daal to see if it's done. If the lentils are soft, remove from stove and place daal in serving dish. Pour the tadka (including the oil) over it.
- Serve with rice and achaar (pickles).
Notes
No
This is awesome-so simple but so flavorful
Kelli
So simple yet so delicious. I rely on this recipe especially during the week when schedules are tight.
pakistaneats
This made my day Kelli! Thank you so much xx
Sarah
I had to make a few adjustments based on what I had at home (chopped jalapeno instead of dried chilies and red onion instead of yellow) and I used actual black lentils instead of green, but I was blown away by how delicious this was. The tadka has an incredible umami flavor that stayed with me all night - worth taking the time to cook it just right.
Webmaster.m106.com
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Kit H
I have just moved away from home and have desperately wanted to cook Pakistani dishes to remind me of home, your blog has been an absolute lifesaver! Thank you, this recipe is great!
pakistaneats
Thank you so much! This comment made my day xx
Hina
Hi, came across your website by chance while looking for a masoor daal recipe . It’s on the stove as i am browsing through other recipes . I love the simplicity and the tips you give about pairings and tarka.
This will become an oft visited blog when looking for inspiration or help 🙂 thank you !
pakistaneats
Hi Hina - thanks so much for your kind comment! I hope the dal came out well, and that you will continue to come back for recipe inspiration 🙂