Daal Mash is a popular Pakistani lentil recipe made with urad daal (spilt and skinned black lentil). Creamy and spiced Mash dal is prepared with basic kitchen spices and herbs. It’s finished with a tempering (tadka) of cumin, dry red chilies, and ginger. 30 minutes to whip up and serve it with warm roti, riata, mint chutney, and lassi.
What is Dal Mash?
If I talk about this aromatic and nutritious recipe, white urad dal is used to make it which is also known as dhuli mash ki daal. This lentil is small, round, and pale white. Urad daal is a split and skinned version of whole black lentils that is used to make famous daal makhani. This lentil curry is also good for health with a alot of health benefits
Dhaba style white lentil curry is dry in texture and has a mild, subtle taste. Daal maash is made by boiling the Pre-soaked daal and then simmering it with onion tomato gravy. Basic kitchen spices are added to season it. Finally, Tadka (tempering) is topped up to make it more delicious. My most favorite Dal Recipes are in following. Also Explore them for busy days. Dal Tadka Recipe Daal Chawal Recipe and Chana Dal fry Recipe
Essential Ingredients
The ingredient list for this quick lentil curry is short and essential pantry items. Here are the mash ki dal ingredients for authentic taste.
- White Urad Daal – One Cup (240 grams). Remove and discard any stones you find in the lentils. Rinse it under runny water for at least 3 to 4 times. Soak this urad lentils in 3 cups of water for a minimum of 45 minutes for better taste and quick cooking.
- Onion – Onions are optional ingredient for this lentil recipe, but you can add 2 medium size onion if you like. Peel the outer layer and chop them into thin slices.
- Tomatoes – 3 medium tomatoes are enough to form a curry base. Wash and finely chop them or grind them to make a tomato puree.
- Ginger Garlic – One and half table spoon of ginger garlic paste to add earthy notes to this curry. For best fresh taste mince one inch piece of ginger and 10 cloves of garlic.
- Spices – these are star and key ingredients for this recipe. Turmeric, salt, red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala are required to spice up this lentil curry.
- Oil – half cup oil. I will use canola oil. Ghee is the best in my opinion for this Indian lentil curry. However, you can use any oil like olive oil mustard or vegetable oil.
- Water – To adjust the daal consistency.
- Green Chilies – Adds natural heat to dahl which is very import for this mash ki daal. Wash and slit cut at least 3 pieces.
- Cilantro – For garnishing
- Tadka (Tempering) – It is also known as Baghaar for daal. I will add dry red chili, cumin seeds and chopped ginger to boost the taste profile.
kindly, soak the Dal mash for one hour before cooking, as it can help to reduce the cooking time.
How to Make Daal Mash
In this step by step guide you will learn how to make dal mash from Scratch no matter if you are beginners? I have describe each step in detail with step-by-step photos’ and video. So get ready to start it.
Boil the Daal – After soaking the dal for one hour, now take a deep pan and add one cup of urad daal (Black Gram Dal) along with 3 cups of water. Boil it until it is 80 percent boiled. Not fully cooked a bit hard when pressing daal with fingers. After boiling, immediately remove from the stove and drain the water. The remaining 20% will cook in the onion-tomato gravy.
Remove scum when Boiling – When you will boil the dal, white color foam or scum will rises to the surface. you can see it in the picture below. Using a spoon, skim it off whenever it appears during boiling.
Fry the Onion – In the same pan, heat 3 tbsp oil and combine onion. By maintaining medium temperature saute the chopped onion until unless onions are light golden in hue. It will take 4 to 5 minutes.
Combine Ginger Garlic – Add minced ginger garlic and cook it with onion for 40 to 50 seconds. If it sticks to pan, add one or two tbsp of water to deglaze the pan.
Add Tomato and Spices – Impart chopped tomatoes and ground spices along with green chilies to pan. stirring constantly to break down the tomatoes. Saute the tomatoes until they are soft and mushy. Once oil begins to rise on edge it means all ingredient are well cooked and move to next step.
Add Cooked Dal – Once the masala or tomato gravy is ready stir in our boiled drained daal in it. And mix it well with masala. Now pour 80 to 100g water and mix to ensure even cooking. Cover the pan and let it simmer on low to medium heat for about 5 minutes. In North Indian cuisine, they add coconut milk in this black lentils curry. You can add it if you have in pantry.
Add Cilantro and Lemon Juice – Dry the runny moisture in the daal and then add chopped cilantro with lemon juice. If necessary, continue cooking the daal for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. It will help to evaporate any excess liquid in the lentil curry. Because we are cooking dry and bhuni white urad dal curry. Turn off the heat and transfer it in serving pan.
Prepare Tadka – Tadka (tempering) is not necessary in this recipe. If you prefer to include it, start by heating 3 to 4 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter (desi ghee) in a small pan (Clarified butter makes it more delicious). Stir chopped ginger, then add dry red chili and cumin seeds in the oil. Pour this over the daal.
Your daal tadka is ready to be served with extra garnish. Garnish it with julienne cut ginger, green chilies and fresh coriander. Additionally, you can also add cream to garnish it.
The texture of authentic sukhi bhuni mash ki daal should be tender and fully cooked but not mushy. Garnishing includes sliced ginger, cilantro, green chilies or a boiled egg.
Instant-Pot Step by Step Guide
- Press the saute button of the instant pot and heat some oil in the pan. As soon as the oil is heated, combine ginger garlic paste and saute it until the raw smell goes off.
- Add ground spices, salt and tomato puree in the pan and cook the masala of gravy. if needed, add water to deglaze pot. Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Combine presoaked drain urid dal in the instant pot. Please also include one and half cup of water. Stir and mix everything.
- Close the lid, seal the steam vent, and press the high-pressure cooking button. Set five minutes time. As it beeps, wait for 10 minutes and then release it naturally.
- Open the lid and check the dal consistency. Dry it if too liquidy on saute mode. Now add cilantro and lemon juice.
- Please prepare the tadka as mentioned in above, pour it over this vegan lentil curry, and garnish it before serving.
Best Serving Suggestions
There are many ways to serve dry white lentil stewfor a better dining experience. Here are some side dishes for protein-packed mash lentil curry
- With Roti – Serve this traditional spicy daal with warm roti, paratha, phulka, naan and crispy roomali roti.
- With Rice – If you have thin runny dal, then you can pair it with steamed rice, jeera rice, and brown rice.
- Make Stuffed Paratha – Use cold, dry dal as a stuffing to make crispy stuffed dal ka paratha.
- With Side Dish – delicious dal can be a great side dish with other main courses in Indian vegetable thali.
- With Raita & Salads – Enjoy this Creamy urad dal recipe with different riata like, mint, onion, cucumber raita and salads.
- With Pickles and lemon – To add tangy notes to this mash ki dal, pair different pickles and squeeze lemon juice.
Pro Tips
Below, I’ve shared valuable tips for creamy dal which I learned from years of personal experience. These insights will save your time and guide you in creating a delightful vegetarian lentil curry that you like eating at different dhabas and restaurants.
- Fresh and Stones Free lentil – Ensure to use only fresh daal that is free of small stones or debris. kindly risen and check the daal carefully before soaking.
- Salt and Turmeric – Always add one tablespoon of salt and one teaspoon of turmeric in the water then boil the dal for better color and taste.
- Soaking – Soak the urad dal for one hour before cooking, as it can help to reduce the cooking time.
- Consistency – If you plan to eat daal mash with rice, then add more water to make it a bit runny; otherwise, mashed daal has a creamier texture not to thick nor too thin.
- Add water – Always add some water at any stage when you feel the masala or the curry is sticking to the pan or burning from the sides.
- Add Tadka – Try to pour a hot tadka just before to serve. It enhances the taste and make it more aromatic.
Why Everyone Love’s Urad Dal
While traveling, I noticed, many people ordered Dal Mash at different restaurants. This made me curious about why this traditional Pakistani dal is so popular. Here are some reasons based on my best knowledge.
| Reason | Explanation |
| Rich in Flavor | A blend of spices, herbs, and lentils offers a deeply satisfying taste. |
| Budget Friendly | Made with inexpensive, readily available ingredients. |
| Easy to Digest | Gentle on the stomach, suitable for all ages. |
| Nutritional Value | High in protein, fiber, and essential nutrients. |
| Customizable | Can be adjusted for spiciness, and add chicken and veggie in it. |
| Versatility | Can be paired with rice, bread, or as part of a larger meal. |
| Cultural Significance | Represents traditional Pakistani cooking methods and flavors. |
| Vegetarian-Friendly | A plant-based dish. Naturally vegan and gluten-free |
| Comforting Aroma | The tadka (tempering) process adds a delightful aroma. |
Traditional mash ki daal is the most frequently cooked lentil curry in my house as compared to any lentil stew. It is enjoyed by everyone in my family, from my grandfather to my youngest nephew. I learned Pakistani lentil stew made with white mash ki dal at home from my eldest sister, from Scratch during my hostel life.
Later on, when I stepped in the chef line, I learned how to make authentic restaurant-style mash ki daal from my senior chef Ilyas. I also explored different versions of creamy white urad lentil curry by adding chicken, eggs, and certain vegetables (Spinach Variation) to make it more versatile. Indian Punjabi version of mash ki daal is not to different from Pakistani version.
FAQs
Is Daal Mash vegan?
Yes, it is the best option for vegetarians. But it can only be vegan if dal mash is cooked without butter, ghee, and heavy cream. Use only vegetable oil while cooking this dal curry.
Are Urad daal and Mash daal the same thing?
This is a famous Pakistani lentil dish which is made with urad daal. So yes, both are the same but have different names. Whole Black gram is the English name of whole urad ki daal, but in our recipe, we are using skinned and split versions of urad dal.
Daal Mash Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Deep Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup 250g white split urad daal
- 6 Table spoons Oil
- 1 Large Onion – about 100g
- 2-3 Medium Tomato about 120g
- 1 tablespoon Minced Ginger
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 2 Tea spoon Salt or To Taste
- 1 & ½ Tea spoon Red chili powder
- ¼ Tea Spoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 Tea Spoons Coriander Powder
- ½ Tea spoon Cumin Powder
- ½ Tea Spoon Garam Masala Powder
- 3 Pieces Chopped Green Chilies
- 1 Table spoons Chopped Coriander leaves
Instructions
- Boil the Daal – Take a deep pan and add one cup of urad daal along with 3 cups of water. Boil it until it is 80 percent boiled. Not fully cooked a bit hard when pressing daal with fingers. After boiling, immediately remove from the stove and drain the water. The remaining 20% will cook in the onion-tomato gravy.
- Remove scum when Boiling – When you will boil the dal, white color foam or scum will rises to the surface. you can see it in the picture below. Using a spoon, skim it off whenever it appears during boiling.
- Saute the Onion – In the same pan, heat 3 tbsp oil and combine onion. By maintaining medium temperature saute the chopped onion until unless onions are light golden in hue. It will take 4 to 5 minutes.
- Combine Ginger Garlic – Add minced ginger garlic and cook it with onion for 40 to 50 seconds. If it sticks to pan, add one or two tbsp of water to deglaze the pan.
- Add Tomato and Spices – Impart chopped tomatoes and ground spices along with green chilies to pan. stirring constantly to break down the tomatoes. Cook it until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Once oil begins to rise on edge it means all ingredient are well cooked and move to next step.
- Add Cooked Dal – Once the masala or tomato gravy is ready add our boiled drained daal in it. And mix it well with masala. Now pour 80 to 100g water and mix to ensure even cooking. Cover the pan and let it simmer on low to medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add Cilantro and Lemon Juice – Dry the runny moisture in the daal and then add chopped cilantro with lemon juice. If necessary, continue cooking the daal for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. It will help to evaporate any excess liquid in the lentil curry. Because we are cooking dry and bhuni dal. Turn off the heat and transfer it in serving pan.
- Prepare Tadka – Tadka is not necessary in this recipe. If you prefer to include it, start by heating 3 to 4 tablespoons oil in a small pan. Stir chopped ginger, then add dry red chili and cumin seeds in the oil. Pour this over the daal. Your daal tadka is ready to be served with extra garnish.
Video
Notes
- Fresh and Stones Free lentil – Ensure to use only fresh daal that is free of small stones or debris. kindly risen and check the daal carefully before soaking.
- Soaking – Soak the urad dal for one hour before cooking, as it can help to reduce the cooking time.
- Consistency – If you plan to eat it with rice, then add more water to make it a bit runny; otherwise, mashed daal has a creamier texture not to thick nor too thin.
- Add water – Always add some water at any stage when you feel the masala or the curry is sticking to the pan or burning from the sides.
- Add Tadka – Try to pour a hot tadka just before to serve. It enhances the taste and make it more aromatic.
