Name: Langarwali dhal
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 190g sabut urad dhal (whole black dhal); 65g chana dhal (split chickpea dhal); ½ tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp deggi mirch (red chilli powder); 3 piece of ginger chopped; 2 Indian bay leaves or bay leaves; 1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 5 garlic cloves crushed; 3 red onions finely chopped; 1 tbsp coriander seeds coarsely ground; 3 piece of ginger finely grated; ¼ tsp ground turmeric; 2 tsp deggi mirch (red chilli powder); 100ml natural yogurt whisked (optional); 1 tbsp chopped coriander; 1 tbsp butter (optional)

Brown lentil dhal in a bowl with coriander on top next to a bowl of rice

190g sabut urad dhal (whole black dhal)
65g chana dhal (split chickpea dhal)
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp deggi mirch (red chilli powder)
3 piece of ginger
chopped
2 Indian bay leaves or bay leaves

Tempered oil

1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 garlic cloves
crushed
3 red onions
finely chopped
1 tbsp coriander seeds
coarsely ground
3 piece of ginger
finely grated
¼ tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp deggi mirch (red chilli powder)
100ml natural yogurt
whisked (optional)
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp butter
(optional)

Method

step 1
Wash and soak the sabut urad dhal and chana dhal overnight. The next day, put the drained lentils along with the turmeric, deggi mirch, ginger and bay in a pressure cooker, if you have one, with 1.2 litres of water. Seal on high and cook for 30 mins or until the lentils are fully cooked and starting to break down. If cooking without a pressure cooker, cook on a low simmer for 2 hrs, adding more water if it gets a little dry.
step 2
For the tempered oil, put the ghee in a frying pan over a high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add the cumin and garlic, cooking for 1 min until the garlic turns light golden, then quickly add the onions. Reduce the heat to medium and sweat the onions until they are translucent and just starting to take on some colour. Add the coriander seeds, ginger, turmeric and chilli powder. Cook until the fat starts to separate from the ingredients. Stir through the yogurt, if using, and coriander.
step 3
Add the lentils to the tempering mixture, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 20-30 mins, whisking from time to time to help the lentils break down and become creamy. Adjust the seasoning as required.
step 4
Serve in a large bowl, garnished with the coriander and butter, if you like.