Kaali daal or khari masoor ki daal | Black gram lentils

Kaali daal or khari masoor ki daal is a popular vegetarian / vegan Pakistani recipe made with black gram lentils. It can be served with chawal (rice) or roti.  

Learn how to make kaali daal or khari masoor ki daal, a popular vegetarian / vegan Pakistani recipe made with black gram lentils. It’s delicious served with both rice (chawal) or roti. Add a light kachumber salad on the side to make it a complete meal. Today I am sharing my tips on how to make khari masoor ki daal or black gram lentils.

What is khari masoor ki daal or black gram lentils?

Khari masoor ki daal is made from the whole form of masoor ki daal (or pink lentils). In its whole form, the lentils have a brown / black skin leading to this daal popularly being known as kaali daal (black gram lentils). Other names given to this daal recipe is sabut masoor ki daal or sabit masoor ki daal, with sabut / sabit meaning whole in Urdu / Hindi.

One thing to note is that these lentils are not the ones used in daal makhani. The lentils used in daal makhani are made from whole black gram or sabit urad daal, which is the whole form of urad daal. The confusion arises because both are called as black lentils in English.

How to cook khari masoor ki daal or black gram lentils?

1. Start off with soaking the khari masoor ki daal or black lentils. Compared to other lentils like masoor daal (pink lentils) or moong daal (yellow lentils) this particular type of lentils takes time to cook. Soaking reduces the cooking time, and ensures that they cook soft. 
2. After the lentils have soaked, put them in a pot with water and spices and cook them on low heat till are soft. Use a whisk or hand blender (just a few pulses) at the end of cooking to half mash the daal. The slow cooking process imparts a subtle smokiness to the lentils.  
3. In the end do the tempering (also known as tarka / tadka or baghaar). Heat oil in a small wok / frying pan and add sliced onions and/or garlic. Heat till golden brown and then pour over the daal. Tempering is a technique used in Indian and Pakistani cooking where spices and vegetables are added to hot oil and fried releasing their flavour and aroma. The oil along with the fried aromatics are poured over the curry (or daal in this case).  

Is kaali daal or khari masoor ki daal made at your place? What do you normally call this daal? Let me know in the comments below.

If you are looking for other Desi vegetarian recipes, check out the following:

1. Taheri (Aloo chawal) – Rice and Potato Pilaf
2. Kaali daal or khari masoor ki daal – Black Gram Lentils
3. Aloo Matar Sabzi (Potato with Peas Curry)
4. Aloo Hari Piyaaz (Potato curry with Spring Onions)
5. Karhi or Pakora Karhi

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📖 Recipe

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5 from 7 votes

Kaali Daal, khari masoor ki daal or black gram lentils

Kaali daal or khari masoor ki daal is a popular vegetarian / vegan Pakistani recipe made with black gram lentils. It can be served with chawal (rice) or roti.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Soaking Time2 hours hrs

Total Time3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 164kcal

Author: Kiran

Equipment

• ▢
  Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup khari masoor ki daal or black gram lentils also known as kaali daal or sabit masoor ki daal
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic paste
• ▢ 2 teaspoon lemon juice or adjust to taste
• ▢ ¼ cup mint leaves
• ▢ 2 tablespoons oil for tempering
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves sliced
• ▢ ½ medium onion sliced

Instructions

Pressure Cooker Instructions:

• Wash lentils and soak for 30 minutes.
• Drain the soaked lentils and place in a pressure cooker with about 1 - 1 ½ cup water.
• Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder and garlic paste.
• Stir, and put on pressure cook for 30 minutes. If you didn’t have time to soak the daal, you can add unsoaked daal and pressure cook for 45 minutes.
• Release pressure and open the lid. Switch to saute / sear mode and whisk well or mash with a wooden spoon so that some of the lentil grains soften and break.
• At this stage you can add water or cook the daal on saute / sear mode depending on how thick or thin you want the lentils to be.
• Heat oil for tempering (tarkin a small frying pan or wok.
• Once the oil is hot, add sliced onion followed by the garlic 2 minutes later. Cook till golden brown. Make sure they don’t burn.
• Add the mint leaves and lemon juice to the daal, and stir. Let the daal cook for a minute and then pour the onion and garlic tempering over the hot lentils.
• Serve hot with rice or roti.

Stovetop instructions:

• Wash lentils and soak for 2 hours. Drain the soaked lentils, and place in a pot with water (about 3 cups water).
• Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder and garlic paste. Bring to a boil, and turn heat to low.
• Cook the lentils on low heat till soft, which will take about an hour.
• Once the lentils are almost tender, whisk well or stir & mash with a wooden spoon for 2 -3 minutes so that some of the lentil grains soften & break making the daal rich and creamy. You can also pulse 1 - 2 times with a hand blender. If necessary, add water and then cook for a couple of minutes till the required gravy consistency is reached.
• Add lemon juice and mint leaves, and give it a stir.
• When the lentils are almost ready heat oil for tempering (tarkin a small frying pan or wok.
• Once the oil is hot, add sliced onion followed by the garlic 2 minutes later. Cook till golden brown. Make sure they don’t burn.
• Pour the onion, garlic and the oil of the tempering (tarkover the hot lentils. Be careful as the oil will sizzle.
• Serve hot with rice or roti.

Notes

• Khari masoor ki daal is made from the whole form of masoor ki daal (or pink lentils). It is also known as sabut masoor ki daal or sabit masoor ki daal. In English it is known as brown lentils or black lentils.
• Don’t confuse these lentils with the ones used in daal makhani. The lentils used in daal makhani are made from whole black gram or sabit urad dal, which is the whole form of urad daal.
• If you don’t have or like mint leaves, you can skip them.
• In the tempering step you can use just garlic or just onion. Both add a unique flavour to the daal.

Nutrition

Calories: 164kcal

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