Split Urad Dal Recipe (Split Black Gram Lentils Soup)

This dhuli urad dal recipe is just perfect comfort food and combines best with any types of flatbreads. This is one of the popular North Indian dal recipes. Urad dal is rich in protein, fibre, and many other nutrients. Know why you must include this urad dal in your diet for sure.

Urad Dal or Black Gram lentils are normally used in the most popular Punjabi cuisine Dal Makhani. This is one of the common lentils in Indian cuisine, especially in South India and in North India. This versatile lentil is a rich source of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Hence good food for our body. We use this lentil as authentic dal, curried dal, or as snacks. This lentil blends well with every food variety.

In South Indian cuisine, maximum items have this urad dal or black gram lentils as it's the main ingredient. Some of the examples are idli, dosa, medu vada, dal bonda, etc. The list is countless in fact. This is also one of the main ingredients in many rich North Indian Dal recipes, like authentic kali dal (with whole lentils with skin), dal makhani, dhuli urad dal ( this recipe), langarwali dal recipe.

Nutrition & Health Benefits

Urad dal or split black gram lentils are a high source of protein and many other vitamins and essential nutrients. This is full of iron, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, potassium. It's rich in both soluble and insoluble fibres that are helpful in keeping our gut and digestive system healthy.

Though it has many health benefits, few are as below:

• It helps in improving digestion & keeps the gut healthy.
• Helps to relieve constipation, diarrhea, bloating.
• It helps in healing piles too.
• This is a good liver stimulant.
• The magnesium and potassium keep the heart healthy.
• Keeps bone strong.
• Strengthens the nervous system and makes the brain healthy.

There are numerous health benefits of this urad dal or black gram lentils.

Split Urad Dal Recipe (Split Black Gram Lentils)

This urad dal is made from the skinned split black gram. There are three different types of urad dal normally we use in our recipes. The type of urad dal we use also decides the taste of the dal or other urad dal recipes.

1. Whole urad dal with skin (Black)
2. Whole urad dal without skin (white / pale white)
3. Split urad dal with skin
4. Split urad dal without skin (white)

So we are using white, skinned urad dal (dhuli urad dal) for this split urad dal recipe.

If you will take the split lentils with skin also good but again that will change the color and flavor of the outcome. And I prefer a spiced curried flavor in such deals.

When I make my dal with split dal but with skin, I prefer to use my curry paste to add curried flavor to it. And that is more like an authentic kali dal recipe.

Ingredients for urad dal recipe

Split urad dal (split black gram lentils) - Take skinned (without skin) white urad dal.

Onion, tomatoes, garlic minced, green chillies

Spices - Coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, dry red chili., cumin seeds, hing (asafoetida)

Instructions

Step 1 - Soak the dal

Black gram lentils (urad dal) irrespective of types, i.e. with skin or without skin, take longer to cook than other lentils or dal since these are harder ones. If you are planning to make something from the whole urad dal, then you need to soak it overnight.

But this split urad dal is softer than whole lentils. But still, you need to soak these split lentils for at least 1 - 2 hours to reduce the cooking time. Otherwise, it takes too long even if we use the pressure cooking method (manual pressure cooker or instant pot).

Step 2 - Saute onion, tomatoes, & spices

Heat ghee (clarified butter) in a pressure cooker. Add a bay leaf. Then add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.

Next add chopped onions, garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Then add diced tomatoes and green chillies to the pot. Saute for 2 minutes or till it's little soft.

Now add in the ground spices. Stir quickly. Immediately add soaked lentils.

Then pour in water (as required) and close the lid of the cooker. Pressure cook for 15 minutes keeping on low to medium flame or till 5 - 6 whistles* on medium heat.

(*Note - At my place, it takes a bit longer to get cooked in a pressure cooker too maybe because of the water quality. You can keep observation of the pressure cooking time of lentils. It may take 3 - 4 whistles more than toor dal cooking time.)

So let's make this easy urad dal in less than 30 minutes' time. To fasten the cooking process you may replace the onion, tomato, spices with this curry paste. This will save almost 10 minutes of your cooking time. But for this dal I like to have chunky onion and tomato in my dal.

Method II - If you don't want a curried flavor and prefer a bland dal flavor, skip all sauteing of onion, tomato, and spices. Just add soaked lentils, water, some chopped tomatoes (optional). Add salt to taste and turmeric powder and cook for 5 - 6 whistles. Then follow step 3 and add an aromatic tempering to the dal.

Step 3 - Final tempering

Heat ghee or clarified butter. Add cumin seeds, chopped garlic, dry red chilli (whole). Add generous amount of hing and red chilli powder. Now pour in the tadka or tempering to the boiled dal and immediately cover with a lid. Finally add freshly chopped coriander leaves. Split urad dal is ready now

Recipe card for split urad dal

If you like lentils/ dal, read similar recipes on blog like sabut masoor dal, dal palak, methi dal, daalma, dhuli urad dal, hara moong dal, Lahsooni Dal, Lauki chana dal, moong masoor dal.