Name: Dal Moradabadi
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ½ cup Split Yellow Mung Beans, washed and soaked for 30 mins; 1¾ cup Water; ½ tsp Salt; ⅛ tsp Asafoetida; 1 tbsp Butter, or ghee, for garnish; ½ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder, for garnish; ¼ tsp Black Salt, kala namak, for garnish; ¼ tsp Red Chilli Powder, for garnish; ½ tsp Chaat Masala, for garnish; 1 Green Chili Pepper, finely chopped, for garnish; ½ tbsp Ginger, julienned (thin strips), for garnish; ½ Onion, finely chopped, for garnish; 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped, for garnish; 1 Lemon, cut into triangular, slice-shaped pieces, for squeezing; ⅛ cup Crispy Papdi, optional, or Namkeen, for crunch

1 hr 5 mintotal

35 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium

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Method

In a pressure cooker, combine the soaked lentils, water, salt and asafoetida. Leave out turmeric so the dal keeps its traditional pale colour.
Pressure cook on low-medium heat for 4-5 whistles. The lentils must be intentionally overcooked to break down completely.
Allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the cooker and vigorously whisk the dal until it transforms into a thick, exceptionally smooth, velvety puree. Keep it piping hot.
Ladle the hot plain dal into individual serving bowls.
Add a dollop of butter or hot ghee to the center of the bowl and let it melt into the hot dal.
Season the surface generously with the roasted cumin powder, black salt, chaat masala, and a pinch of red chilli powder.
Garnish elaborately with the chopped onions, green chillies, ginger juliennes, and fresh coriander.
Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and top with crispy papdi to provide essential textural contrast.
Serve immediately. The dynamic flavors activate as the toppings are folded into the hot dal upon eating.

How to tell it's done

The dal should be silky, hot and buttery, with sharp crunch from raw onion, ginger and chaat masala.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the dal base plain and hot. The onion, lemon, ginger and crunchy garnishes bring the Moradabadi flavour at serving time.

What to serve it with

Serve Moradabadi dal as a street-style snack in bowls or kulhads, with lemon, onion, ginger and crisp papdi or namkeen.

Common mistakes

The Moradabadi dal becomes thick like regular dal.: Cook the mung dal soft, whisk it light, and keep the consistency pourable. The raw toppings should brighten a thin, hot dal base.

Storing and reheating

Refrigerate the plain dal base separately from toppings for up to 3 days. Reheat until hot and add onion, lemon, coriander, papdi or namkeen only at serving; freezing is possible for the plain dal base.

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Ingredients