Kali Dal

Kali dal is yet another delicious Punjabi dish, that is wholesome and rich in taste. Whole black urad dal with skin is used for making this dish. Earlier i had posted 'Dal Makhani' recipe, cooked in slow cooker. This dish also can be cooked in a slow cooker to get the creamy texture for the dish. But now this a pressure cooker recipe, which is equally good.

Ingredients

1.5 cup - Whole black urad dal, washed well

5 cups - Water

3 to 4 tbsp - Heavy cream / malai

5 tbsp - Ghee

Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

2'' piece - Ginger

10 to 15 big flakes - Garlic

4 - Green chili

Seasoning

1 tsp - Jeera

2 medium - Onion,chopped

1/2 tsp - Hing powder, Asafoetida

1/2 to 1 tsp - Garam masala powder

1/2 tsp - Red chili powder

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

8 medium - Ripe tomatoes, pureed

Garnishing

3 to 4 tbsp - Heavy cream / malai

Some Coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method

1 ) Soak urad dal for an hour or two in enough water. You can also soak overnight and sprout it, which will be more nutritious. Then transfer to a pressure cooker along with ground ginger-garlic-green chili paste, 1 tbsp ghee, salt to taste and 5 cups of water. Pressure cook for 50 minutes. Cool the cooker then take some of the cooked urad dal and grind to a creamy consistency. Pour it back to the cooker.

2 ) For tadka / seasoning - Heat 3 to 4 tbsp of ghee in a pan or kadai, add jeera, let it splutter, then add onion and fry till the onion is well fried to a golden color then add the powders, hing, red chili powder, turmeric and garam masala powder. Let the powders get fried for a few seconds, then add the tomato puree. Stir and cook till the tomato is well cooked on low heat and the oil separates. Pour half the heavy cream and mix in well. Now pour this tadka on top of the cooked urad dal, stir in. Adjust salt to taste. Keep the cooker back on stove, simmer and cook for few minutes.

3 ) Now garnish with some coriander leaves and when serving pour some heavy cream on top and serve hot.

Serve hot with roti or basmati rice.