White Urad and chana Dal mix

White Urad Dal and Chana Dal mix

White urad dal is creamy white in color and has a mild flavor and yellow chana dal has slightly sweet taste and nutty flavor. When these two dals
cooked together and simmered in with cumin seed and onion tadka it makes a delicious dish. The consistency of Urad Dal is usually thicker than any other dal. White urad and chana dal goes well with tandoori roti, Missi roti (Black chick peas flour roti) and Naan. White urad dal and chana dal are both used as a seasoning in southern Indian cooking.

Ingredients for dal:

1     Cup white urad Dal
¼    Cup chana Dal
½ Teaspoon turmeric powder
1 Teaspoon salt or to your taste
3½  Cups of water
1     Teaspoon mango powder (optional)
1 Teaspoon vegetable oil

Ingredients for Onion Tadka:

1 Medium size onion– sliced length wise
2   Tablespoon vegetable oil (Ghee or Butter)

Ingredients for Cumin seed Tadka:

1   Teaspoon cumin seeds
1   Pinch of Hing (asafetida)
1   Tablespoon vegetable oil

Ingredients for hot Chili Tadka:

2   Teaspoon crushed red chilies or red chili powder
2   Tablespoons melted butter or Ghee


Cooking measurement conversion
Measurement converter

White Urad Dal

Chana Dal

Turmeric powder

Mango powder (Amchoor)

Salt

Water

Oil

Ingredients for Onion Tadka:

Onion-Sliced

Ghee or Butter

Ingredients for Cumin seed Tadka:

Cumin seeds

Hing (Asafetida)

Oil

Ingredients for hot Chili Tadka:

Red chili powder

Ghee or Butter

Tadka Pan (Needed)

Direction for cooking Dal: 

1. In a pressure cooker add Urad dal and Chana mix Dal and wash, changing
water several times until the water appears clear and then soak dal in 4 cups
of water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Mix Urad and Chana Dals

Add Mix Urad and Chana Dal in pressure cooker

Wash Dal well

Soak Dal in water

2. Once dal is soaked rinse the water out and wash.

Wash and rinse-soaked Dal

Soaked Dals

3. Add 3½ cups of water, Turmeric powder, salt and 1 teaspoon of oil and
mix. When dal is boiling it creates lot of foam and the foam comes out from
pressure cooker to prevent that it is a good idea to add little oil.

Add water in Dal

Add salt and mix

Add Turmeric powder

Mix turmeric powder well

Add Oil

4. Close the lid of the pressure cooker, place the weight on the lid and cook on
medium heat.

Close the lid of pressure cooker

5. In about 8 to 10 minutes pressure cooker will start steaming turn the heat down
    and cook for 3 minutes.  Turn the stove off and wait until steam goes down.
    Different brand of cooker required different time to cook.

6. While dal is cooking prepare cumin seed and onion tadkas and keep them aside.
    (See below for the tadka directions)

7. Open the pressure cooker and check if Dal is cooked.

After cooking open the pressure cooker

Check if Dal is cooked

8. Turn the stove on to medium heat, with the cooking spoon mix dal well so
there are no lumps.

With a spoon mix Dal well

9. If Dal is thick then add more water if it is too watery then tilt the pressure
     cooker and with the cooking spoon scoop the water out, because you do not
want to overcook urad dal, it should be soft but it should not become pasty or
     like a soup, you should see some dal pieces in it. Urad, chana Dal cook very
   quick.

Dal is cooked

10. Add onion tadka and mix and cook for 4 to 5.

Add onion tadka in Dal

With a Spoon mix Onion Tadka

Onion Tadka blended with Dal

11. Add Cumin seed Tadka and mix and cook for 1 minute, turn the stove off or
once you have the desired consistency,

Add cumin seed tadka

Mix cumin seed tadka with Dal

12. If you wish add 1 teaspoon of mango powder (Amchoor) and mix to give little savor taste.

13. When ready to serve, transfer dal in a serving bowl and pour hot chili tadka
over dal. (See below for chili tadka)

Add Mango powder and mix

Urad and chana dal is ready

White Urad and Chana Dal mix

Pour Chili Tadka over Dal

White Urad Dal and Chana Dal

Tips:

1. If you wish you can skip onion tadka or any other tadka and alter Dal to your
taste.

2. Use pressure cooker for cooking dal otherwise it takes too long to cook dal.

3. If you like you can onion tomato tadka. (tadka)

Directions for onion tadka:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small frying pan on medium heat, add sliced onions and sauté them while frequently stirring for 8 to10 minutes or until onions become dark brown. Turn the stove off.

In a pan add oil & sliced onion & Sauté

Onion are fried

Directions for cumin seed tadka: (tadka)

1. In a small pan (tadka pan) add 1 tablespoon oil, cumin seeds, and asafetida and
fry them for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat or until cumin seeds become brown,
turn the heat off.

In a tadka pan add oil

Add cumin seeds

Add Asafetida (Hing)

Cumin seeds are fried

Direction for hot chili tadka: (Hot oil) (tadka)

1. In a small pan (tadka pan) heat 2 tablespoons ghee or melted butter add
crushed red chilies or red chili powder and fry them on very low heat for1 to 2
minutes or until the red chilies fried, turn the heat off.

In a pan add butter or ghee

Add chili powder and fry

Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.

Thank you

Geeta Seth

Other recipes:

White urad dal                                                         Panchratan dal

Split black urad dal                                                 Black urad and rice khichdi

Black whole urad dal                                              Maharani dal
(Black grams, Ma ki dal)

Mooli ki bhurji                                                         Urad dal stuffed paratha
(white radish or daikon bhurji)

Paratder roti (Layered roti)                                     Boiled white rice