Kaali Daal or Sabut Masoor ki Daal is a hearty flavorful daal that is popular in Pakistan and India. This version is flavored with simple spices and an optional secret ingredient!
Comfort foods are the familiar kind. For many of us this Kaali Daal (or Sabut Masoor ki Daal if you are going to be proper about it), is made in a certain way. For some it's most loved in it's Daal Makhani incarnation, for others it's best when whole spices and mint make an appearance.
I love this daal best when it is simply made and the flavour of the sabut masoor shines through. The secret ingredient just happens to be a bonus 🙂
The Kinds of Masoor Daal:
My family is fairly simplistic in it's identification of daals - to this day it's by colour. My mother's tomtato-y masoor is 'laal' (red) daal, moong is yellow daal, and this one is kaali daal although it's actually brown. The most common varieties of Masoor Daal are
- Whole Masoor Daal or Sabut Masoor Dal: It is made using the entire lentil, including the skin, and has a brownish hue - this is what is used in this recipe.
- Red Masoor Dal: This is a type of split masoor dal that has a reddish color and it is also fastest cooking.
- Green Masoor Dal: This is a type of whole masoor dal that is green in color and has a milder flavour than it's brown counterpart.
All the above daals are rich in iron and magnesium and an integral part of Pakistani and Indian food.
Kaali Daal & Ashura: Food Memories
The flavour of kaali daal alone isn't what makes it one of my favourites. It is also the associated memories. It is that first meal back from a year away at college and the simple meal that I associate with the breaking of the fast on the tenth of Muharram. TO learn more about it's significance hope over to Super Urdu Mom and read her piece over here.
Sabut Masoor Recipe: Unusual Ingredients Explained
Usually a daal recipe will contain daal + spices and garnishes at the end. This recipe has two ingredients that make it a little unusual.
Onion: My mother's secret for daals that have depth and are almost velvety is adding a little diced onion into the lentils. That onion is a natural tenderizer that melts away and adds heft and flavour to the whole masoor daal or whatever daal you are cooking.
Tamarind: The tamarind adds a note of savory umami here and while you can absolutely skip it, I do recommend you try it at least once! You are also welcome to add a little lemon juice and brown sugar (very little) to mimic the taste.
Baghaar: The version I make is with basic ingredients, but feel free to customize it by adding onions or taking away whatever doesn't feel right to you. As I said earlier our sense of comfort comes from familiarity and nothing beats the feeling of the perfectly comforting daal.
Making Kaali Daal: ONE thing to know
The making of the daal is straightforward.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing is to SOAK THE DAAL.
Yes, those caps felt necessary. Soaking the sabut masoor daal allows the daal to not just cook faster, but also makes the nutritional absorption from the daal easier on our digestive system. Soak for a minimum of 30 minutes, but longer is okay too.
Freezing Daal:
You know I am all about that do ahead life. I will often double the daal in the IP, and freeze half. It gets defrosted the day I want to eat it and topped with fresh tadka.
TIP: If you are planning on freezing your daal you can use less water so it takes less freezer space.
This is a well loved daal recipe that has received a recent face lift, comment below if you've made it, and as always, I appreciate the ratings!
Kaali Daal or Sabut Masoor ki Daal
Ingredients
- 1 cup kaali daal soaked for a few hours
- Half a finely diced onion
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp each of cumin powder and coriander powder optional
- 1 tbsp or more of tamarind paste or lemon juice
- Cilantro and diced or whole green chillies (optional at the end)
For baghaar/tadka/tempering:-
- 4 cloves thinly sliced garlic
- 3 dried whole red chillies
- ½-¾ tsp of cumin seeds
- A sprig of curry leaves optional
- Neutral oil not olive oil
Instructions
- Stove top: Boil the daal in about two cups of water with the diced onion and spices. The cumin and coriander powder add an earthiness, but if you don't have them handy don't worry about it.Instant Pot: Combine the daal, diced onion, spices, and 2.5 cups of water in your Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, natural release for 10.
- Once the daal is tender you can mix it well with a spoon to mash some of it and create a creamier base. You can also use an immersion blender for a few seconds.
- Add your tamarind paste, a teaspoon at a time or until it feels well balanced. You may want to adjust salt and chilies at this point.
- Add the diced or whole green chillies and cilantro (if using) and stir through.
Baghaar/ Tadka
- Heat oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic, cumin seeds, whole dried red chillies and curry leaves (if using). Cook on medium high heat until the garlic is delicious golden then quickly pour over your daal and cover the pot with the lid.
Zara says
I made brown daal today for the first time and used your recipe- it came out perfect! Comfort food at its best and it hit all the nostalgic flavors i was craving. Love all your recipes 🙂
Sarah Mir says
Zara! I am SO SO happy to hear that! thank you for your rating and review!
Crystal says
This recipe is super easy and packed with flavour. I find the addition of imli so clever instead of tomatoes, it just elevates the dish.
In our house instead of coriander, mint is added to the daal, it's a complete different flavour profile, however, I do love this coriander version too! So hearty, I usually cook a big pot so I can enjoy it on its own as a soup/ stew. So, so good!
Sarah Mir says
I love the idea of adding mint to this! thank you for trying this recipe, your comments/reviews are making my day!
Sam says
Excited to try this! How shall I modify this recipe if I want to add beef/veal into this dal?
Ambreen says
I made this twice in the IP and it is so delicious! Family favourite, thank you Sarah!
Sarah Mir says
Ambreen! Seeing your comment inspired my dinner today, thank you for your kind words (and dinner inspo!)
Nida says
Just made this daal and turned out to be perfect! Love your recipes!
Bushra Osmani says
Soooooo good! This is my go to recipe for kaali daal. Alwys turns out perfect!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you Bushra! Hope it hits the spot today!
Faiza Waqas says
Excellent recipe! Super easy to make and delicious. Loved it 😄
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Wonderful thank you so much!
Just a fan says
Love this post
Sarah Mir says
thank you!
Zahra B. says
Tried this in the instant pot the other day and it was SO easy and SO delicious! THANK YOU!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Yay! So glad to hear that thank you!!!
DEEWA SHRESTHA says
Is there an instant pot recipe for this daal?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Deewa! You can simply combine the first 6 ingredients in your IP with the two cups of water and set it on manual for 15 minutes for soaked daal and 18 for daal that has not been presoaked. Then quick release and continue with the rest of the recipe. Happy Cooking 🙂
Izzah | TeaforTurmeric says
I tried this dal and it was just as you described! Easy to follow and so much flavor! It was so good even though I didn't have tamarind paste. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try it again with the tamarind paste. Saving this! Thank you!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Absolutely thrilled to hear it Izzah!!
GH says
ساری دال فریز کر دیں یا تھوڑی سی کھا بھی سکتے ہیں؟
Just asking! ?
Good post. When I was a child, I have some memories associated with kaali daal as well.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
hahah jaisee aap ki marzi ;P
Mukta says
Wow! This is exactly the way we cook this dal in India and like you said, it pairs up with steamed rice the best!!
This post reaffirms my belief that there are more similarities in the two countries than differences.
I love this dal too!
Urdu Mom says
What an amazing recipe! I love kaali daal. My absolute favorite. Will try this recipe this week and let you know how it turns out. Thanks so much for sharing the blog post. It was quite emotional writing it. I'm glad to hear that it resonated with you.
Take care and keep sharing your amazing recipes!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thanks so much! your kind words mean a great deal
Anisa says
Lovely recipe! Comfort food at its best!