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Whole masoor dal is a popular lentil in many Punjabi households. In my home, we call it kali dal or black lentils even though it’s brown in color. This recipe was shared by my family friend’s fabulous cook, Aziz. What elevates this specific recipe is an elevated tadka (tempered spices) of sliced garlic, whole cumin seeds and dried red chiles that really make the dal sing.

About This Recipe

When you talk about comfort food in the sub-continent, people always bring up dal. In Pakistan, people most frequently refer to masoor ki dal (red lentils) or moong dal (yellow lentils). While I love both, since I have dal multiple times a week, I need to switch up the rotation to keep it fresh.  

Split masoor dal or red lentils are probably the most popular variety of lentils since they cook easily. The whole version (used here) takes longer to soften but you can cut down on the cooking time by letting the lentils overnight. Here it’s important to note that there’s another popular variety of black lentils – black gram dal – which is much darker in color than whole masoor dal. For this recipe, we are going for the whole masoor variety, which is brown, even though we still refer to it as kali or black dal.

Ingredients

• Whole Masoor Dal (brown lentils): These brown lentils are different from black gram (which are actually black in color) or the green lentils you find in major North American grocery stores. You can easily find this variety in any major South Asian grocery store.
• Salt: I use ground Himalayan rock salt but you can use any variety. Just adjust based on taste.  
• Yellow Onion: I use this both in the dal and tadka. White onion will also work here.
• Crushed Garlic: You can buy this at the store or just crush it yourself using a food processor or mortar and pestle.
• Crushed Ginger: You can buy this at the store or just crush it yourself using a food processor or mortar and pestle.
• Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: I like to use Kashmiri red chili powder but you can substitute it with cayenne red pepper. Since cayenne red pepper is hotter, adjust based on your preference.
• Turmeric Powder: It adds a slightly yellow hue to the dal. It’s available in most major grocery stores.
• Black pepper
• Cumin Powder: It imparts a nice smoky flavor to the dal.
• Coriander Powder: This infuses a bright and slightly floral flavor to the dal.
• Vegetable Oil: Any neutral oil with a high smoke point will work (such as canola or sunflower).
• Garlic
• Cumin Seeds: The smoky flavor of the cumin seeds really rounds up the tadka.
• Dried Red Chiles: In my home, we use dried dundicut the most but any mild dried red chile will work. In addition to South Asian grocery stores, you can also find them at Central American marts.

A Note About the Tadka

Tadka is a popular South Asian culinary practice of lightly tempering spices in oil. You frequently pour the tadka over a finished dish to infuse it a burst of extra flavor. The specific tadka used here is what makes this recipe so good! I would highly recommend not skipping this last step.

When you are ready to serve the dish, heat oil in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Once it begins to shimmer, you add the tadka ingredients one by one, taking care to strike a balance between letting them sufficiently cook and preventing them from getting it bitter. This especially applies to sliced onion and garlic. If they burn too quickly, they will impart a bitter flavor to the dal.

While some cooks like their onions to cook until they evenly brown completely, I’m a bit lazier and think it’s fine to let them cook until they just brown at the edges before adding the rest of the ingredients. It’s a matter of personal preference, and how much in a hurry you are!

What to Pair with Kali Dal

Kali dal is always meant to be served with plain white basmati rice. To complement it, I would suggest pairing it with:

Pakistani Style Kali Dal (Black Lentils)

A heartwarming and satisfying dal with a smoky and punchy tadka of onion, garlic, red chiles and cumin seeds.

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

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.