Maash ki Daal

Punjabi dry-style split black gram, cooked until tender but separate and finished with a sizzling tarka of ghee, garlic, cumin, ginger, and green chilli

Origin: Lahore & the Punjab, Pakistan

From the journey of Black Gram.

Maash ki daal is the everyday black gram dal of Pakistan and of the Punjab on both sides of the border, where Punjabi calls it maah di daal. It is made from split, skinned urad, soaked and cooked in just enough water that the grains turn tender while keeping their shape, and then finished with a hot tarka of ghee, garlic, cumin, dried chillies, julienned ginger, and green chilli. The best-known version is bhuni, dry and firm, eaten with roti rather than rice; roadside dhabas make a looser, gravy-style version with onion and tomato. The name is worth a moment. In Urdu and Punjabi, maash means black gram. In Persian and across Central Asia, the same word, mash, means the mung bean, and a Tajik or Iranian recipe for mash wants the green pulse, not this one. The two words share a history but not, today, a bean. The difficulty is timing. Split urad goes from firm to mushy very quickly, and a good maash ki daal stops just short of that point, so that each grain holds its shape but gives completely when eaten.

Ingredients

Daal

250 g split skinless urad dal (daal maash), soaked for 2 hours
500 ml water
0.5 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp salt

Tarka

3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 whole dried red chillies

To Finish

1 piece fresh ginger, 4 cm, cut into fine matchsticks
2 whole green chillies, slit
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
0.5 tsp garam masala

Method

Drain the soaked dal and put it in a wide pan with the water, turmeric, chilli powder, and salt.
Bring to the boil, skim, then cover and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, until the grains are just tender and most of the water has been absorbed.
If any water remains, uncover and cook off gently, shaking the pan rather than stirring so the grains stay whole.
Heat the ghee in a small pan, add the cumin, then the garlic and dried chillies, and fry until the garlic is golden.
Pour the tarka over the dal, scatter over the ginger, green chillies, coriander, and garam masala, and fold through gently.
Serve hot with roti or naan.

Notes

For dhaba style, fry a sliced onion and a chopped tomato in the ghee before the tarka, add 250 ml more water to the dal, and cook it looser. Soaking shortens the cooking and helps the grains cook evenly, but do not soak for more than three hours or they break up. A squeeze of lemon at the table is common in Lahore.

The Gastrographer

Name: Maash ki Daal
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Pakistan
Ingredients: 250 g split skinless urad dal (daal maash), soaked for 2 hours; 500 ml water; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 1 tsp salt; 3 tbsp ghee; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 3 whole dried red chillies; 1 piece fresh ginger, 4 cm, cut into fine matchsticks; 2 whole green chillies, slit; 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves; 0.5 tsp garam masala

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control