My husband and I are returning from Ambala. It was two weeks after our wedding, and we had made the trip to visit all the in-laws who could not attend. We caught the evening bus home. By the time we reached New Delhi, it was very late. All the restaurants were closed, and we knew the kitchen at Rashtrapati Bhavan (our residence at the time, as my husband was the Air Force Aide de Camp to the President) would be closed. I was starving!

So we stopped at a dhaba (roadside eatery). It was a little shack with a few wooden tables and chairs. Nothing fancy. Seedy enough for me to worry about germs, but too hungry to care! The dal was simmering in a large pot and smelled wonderful on that cold winter night. The dhaba owner accommodated us at a table close to a small electric heater. We fortified ourselves with hot dal and equally hot tandoori rotis, washed down with a kullar (clay cup) each of hot, sweet, and milky cardamom tea.

Dinner never tasted so good!

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Maa Sabut Dal / Urd Sabut Dal (Black Gram Dal)

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

A staple filling soup from the state of Punjab. Great comfort food when you're cold and homesick!

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole black gram (picked, cleaned, and washed through a strainer)
• 2 medium dried red chilies, whole (one, if you have a weak stomach)
• 2 tsp fresh ginger (chopped finely)
• 2 tsp fresh garlic (chopped finely)
• salt (to taste)
• 6-8 cups water

Tadka (Tempering)

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• ½ cup onion (chopped finely)
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp garam masala

Garnish

• 1 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) (chopped finely)
• 1 tbsp desi ghee or butter

Instructions 

Preparation

• Picked, clean, and wash the lentils through a strainer. Let them soak for 30 minutes.

To Cook

• Put all ingredients in a stew pot, cover, and bring to a boil on medium heat.
• Cook the lentils, occasionally stirring, until they are tender and slightly blended, but not mushy. Approximately 45min. If the water evaporates too much, add more hot water. Set aside.
• You can also use a pressure cooker to cut down the cooking time. Just follow the instructions for cooking time for beans. Normally, I undercook the lentils and then continue to boil them to the consistency I like.

Tadka (Tempering)

• Heat oil in sauté pan. Add chopped onions and saute for about 7-8 minutes.
• When the onions are three-quarter brown, add tomatoes and sauté for another 3 minutes.
• Add the cumin and garam masala powders and give them a quick stir.
• Pour the seasoning into the cooked dal. Now put the dal back on the burner, cover, and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes so it can absorb the tadka.

Garnish

• Garnish with fresh coriander before serving and desi ghee or blobs of butter.
• Goes well with roti, flat breads, or an Indian meal.

Notes

There is a more elaborate version of this dal which is the famous Dal Makhani served at restaurants, parties and celebrations. A recipe that I shall also share.

–Photo by Abhishek Sagar on Unsplash