Maa di daal

Whole black gram lentils cooked with spices



When I think of Maa di dal also known as kaali dal in north India I always think of the gurudwara. Although we punjabis make Maa di dal at home all the time, honestly the gurudwara dal is the best. I love the langar ka khaana - I don't know what's the secret ingredient in their kaali dal, maybe it's faith, maybe it's love or the gurudwara has some special recipe, they serve the best kaali dal in the world. After the gurudwara its the Dhabas in Punjab that serve the most mouthwatering maa di dal. I remember whenever we went to visit our relatives in Punjab, we ate at the roadside dhabas, they served hot Maa di dal with dollops of fresh homemade white butter( No amul butter here), tandoori roti or paranthas along with aam kaa achaar. And to wash down all the mouthwatering food, they would always serve a huge glass of lassi (buttermilk) topped with fresh cream, Guess what ,the bill was always below 100 rupees for a group of 4 people. You will never get such amazing food in that price anywhere in the world. Also Maa di daal doesn't mean dal makhni. Dal makhni is maa di daal  cooked with loads and loads of butter and tomato puree and is served in the restaurants. Dal makhni is not made in Punjabi homes all the time, its the Maa di dal that is our all time favourite dal and made during auspicious occasions or festivals.

Ingredients:-
2 cups black Urad daal (whole)
1/4 cup Rajma (kidney beans) soaked for 2 hours
1/4 cup chana dal
2 onions -finely chopped
1 large tomato-finely chopped
2 tblsp- ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies finely chopped
1 tblsp - punjabi garam masala
1 1/2 tsp- chilli powder or as per your taste
1 1/2 tsp- turmeric powder
1 tblsp-ghee or clarified butter
1tblsp-fresh cream
Salt to taste
Few bunches of Cilantro leaves chopped

1. Pressure cook the dal along with rajma, chana dal, salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker using 3 times the water. If you do not have pressure cooker you can slow cook the dal in a pot. Cook till the dal is tender. The time varies depending upon the pressure cooker but it will take approx 45 mins on a medium heat.
2. Meanwhile in a small wok heat ghee, add the chopped onions and cook until they turn golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for about 5 mins, now add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are very tender and almost mushy.
3. Add the green chillies in this mixture. Add the red chilli powder, garam masala and cook until the ghee seperates.
4. Add this masala to the cooked dal and let it boil until its nice and thick. You can add water if you want a thinner consistency.
5. Garnish with fresh cream and chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve hot with a tsp of ghee and fresh hot phulkas/rotis.