This is a bit of an unusual lentil preparation. Sookhi urad dal is a dry dal that’s spicy and nutty with sweet caramelized onions throughout.
What is Sookhi Dal?
Sookhi dal literally means dry dal. It’s a Punjabi dish made with urad dal that has been split, and its skin removed. It’s meant to be eaten as a sabzi that you scoop up with an Indian flatbread, like roti.
Now here’s the sort of confusing part. When I say this is a dry dal, I don’t mean that it’s moistureless. It’s dry compared to a normal soupy dal, but it’s not like, bone-dry. It’s a mostly-dry lentil sabzi. I just want to be clear about any moisture expectations you may have.
As I’ve already mentioned, you can eat this with roti or simply snack on it by itself. If I were having a Dinner Party, I’d serve this sookhi dal as an appetizer along with Chicken Bhuna and maybe Dhokla. Fun apps to keep in mind for a future dinner party.
“Absolutely delicious! I made it for the first time yesterday and it turned out amazing. It was perfectly cooked and the flavours were spot on. I couldn’t believe that I made it 🙃 (of course with your recipe haha) thank you so much for sharing such great recipes.”
Leann
This is my (Punjabi) father’s favorite dal – it’s nostalgic for him as it’s a dish my grandma used to make when he was a kid. My mom makes this dal for my dad a couple of times a year, on his birthday, and on their anniversary.
You guys know my dad is pretty particular about food (I can’t even count the number of times I’ve had to test recipes like Rajma, Gajar Halwa, Chana Masala, Dal Halwa before getting his approval). Anyway, over the years, my mom has perfected this dal partly thanks to my dad’s lovable critiques (I promise, he’s sweet about it – like when you ask how something tastes, he’ll first give you a big smile and then say, “well, this needs a liiiittle more/less {blank}” while holding his thumb and pointer finger close together, lol. He’s just really honest). And thanks to both of them, I’m able to share this recipe with you today – Instant Pot style, of course.
Thanks to the IP, we can set our pressure cookers and walk away. No need to keep an eye on the lentils. Once they’re done, they’ll be soft but not mushy, perfectly cooked – with the slightest bit of chew.
What are Split White Lentils?
Can I talk about how fabulous lentils are for a second? I’m not sure there’s any other food out there that gets me quite as animated as lentils do. It’s just so amazing to me how many different ways there are to use legumes. You can use them to make dal, obviously. You can also grind lentils into flour and then make crazy awesome things with them like fried pakoras, savory cakes, Crispy Dosas and Soft Idli.
Another thing you can do is use the same lentil in various ways. For example, these split white lentils come from whole black urad dal, also known as black gram. If you remove the black exterior, the lentils are white underneath. If you split them, you’ve got the lentils we’re using here.
If you want to learn more about lentils used in Indian cooking, you can read this blog post which includes pictures of different lentils.
Give this dry dal a try and let me know what you think! Top the finished dal with crunchy raw onion, spicy green chilies, cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon juice!
Ingredients
- 1 cup split white lentils these are also known as split hulled urad dal, rinse and soak in water for 2 hours
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ onion diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 green chili minced
- 1 cup water
Spices:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon amchur powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Garnish
- ¼ cup cilantro to taste
- ¼ cup chopped red onion to taste
- 2 green chilies chopped, to taste
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Soak the split white lentils for 2 hours. Drain, rinse and set aside for now.
- Press saute, add oil and once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When the cumin seeds brown, add the onion and green chili and saute for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown.
- Add the garlic, stir, then add the lentils, water, spices and mix well.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Naturally release pressure (takes approx. 15 minutes).
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, onion and green chilies and lemon.
Wali says
I have always been timid to try Indian recipes as they always have so many spices/ingredients and steps. This was SO easy and delicious. My whole family, and I mean whole family including the kids, loved this. In fact my pickiest eater asked to have this for breakfast the next morning and again at the next meal. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m looking forward to checking out more of your recipes!