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Lots more Dals, Bean/Lentil Stews here
Black gram/ Urad Whole (Black Matpe Bean)
Black gram is different than black lentils. Black gram looks like a black mung bean, fat and cylindrical, while black lentils(beluga) are black colored flat lentils. You can use black lentils or other lentils in this recipe if you don’t have black gram. I have only seen it in Indian stores and online, so it can be difficult to come by.
Red Kidney Beans
Whole Urad lentils, Vigna mungo, black gram or black lentil are these pretty lentils which look like black Mung beans. The beans are available as whole or split or split+skinned like most whole lentils in India.
Urad lentils are also extensively used in South Indian culinary preparations, such as dosa crepes, idli – steamed lentil cakes, vada – savory doughnuts, and Papad/Papadum (Ground into flour or soaked and fermented etc).
Step by step photos:
Tempering/Tadka Ingredients.
Heat oil. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant.
Add garlic, ginger, chili and cook until golden.
Add onions and cook until translucent.
Add tomatoes, asafetida, garam masala and cook until tomatoes are tender.
Add tempering to cooked beans. Add milks, mix well.
Cook until the beans are mushy.
Serve hot topped with a dollop of vegan butter or olive oil. The pictured Dal is cooked in a pressure cooker that breaks the beans down really well. If using slow cooker or crockpot to cook the dal, mash some of the dal with a spatula.
Vegan Dal Makhani - Black lentils and Beans in creamy buttery gravy
Ingredients
For the Lentils:
- 1 cup whole black gram, , Urad Whole or use black lentils(see first paragraph for sub options)
- 1/2 cup kidney beans, , Rajma
- 3.5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder, or cayenne or to taste
For the Tempering:
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2-3 green chilis finely chopped, I use Serrano chili pepper
- 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
- 5-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 medium size onion, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon asafoetida, hing
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 medium size tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala, regular or punjabi
- 1 Tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves, Kasoori methi, or Use a 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek/methi seeds-Optional
- 2 Tablespoons Almond milk
- 1/3 cup Cashew milk, Blend 3 tbsp cashews in 1/3 cup water until smooth.
- Vegan butter such as Earth Balance as needed
Instructions
- Soak the lentils and beans overnight.
- Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 3-4 whistles (25 minutes at high pressure once pressure has reached).
- Or use a slow cooker to cook urad beans and keep ready. Kidney beans cannot be cooked in a slow cooker from raw state, so use 1 cup cooked canned beans.
- In a large pan, add oil and heat on medium-high heat.
- Add cumin seeds and cook till they start to change color.
- Add ginger, garlic and green chili and saute until golden.
- Add onion, asafetida and cook until translucent.
- Add the tomato and turmeric and cook until tomatoes are mushy. (13-15 minutes till this step).
- Add the cooked black gram, kidney beans and the water they were cooked in.
- Add garam masala, fenugreek and the milks. Mix, taste and adjust salt.
- Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
- Simmer on low heat till the dals/beans are totally soft. Mash some of the lentils with the spatula. 30 minutes.
- Or Pressure cook for 5 minutes at high pressure once the pressure has reached. (1 whistle + simmer for 5)
- Top with a small dollop of vegan butter or olive oil and cilantro.
- Serve with Roti/Naan flatbread or Rice Pilaf or other cooked grains like Quinoa, millet.
Video
Notes
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Soak the lentils and beans overnight.
-
Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 30 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally.
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In a large pan or a cleaned out instant pot, add oil and heat on medium-high heat or saute mode in the IP.
-
Add cumin seeds and cook till they start to change color.
-
Add ginger, garlic and green chili and saute until golden.
-
Add onion, asafetida and cook until translucent.
-
Add the tomato and turmeric and cook until tomatoes are mushy. (13-15 minutes till this step). Deglaze with 2 tbsp of water if needed.
-
Add the cooked black gram, kidney beans and the water they were cooked in.
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Add garam masala, fenugreek and the milks. Mix really well to pick up any stuck bits, taste and adjust salt.
-
Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
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Pressure cook for 5 to 10 mins, Or simmer on saute for 30 minutes.(depends on your preferred consistency of the beans). Mash some of the lentils with the spatula.
- Top with a small dollop of vegan butter or olive oil and cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just had this for dinner tonight, it is absolutely delicious!
I used the black lentils because I couldn’t find black gram, I also added chopped carrots and parsnip to get some veggies in there. I also forgot to keep the water from the beans and lentils but I added about 1 litre of plain water and it was no drama. It turned out a lot less runny than the pics, assuming because of the veggies, but that’s still definitely not a negative.
I served it with some brown basmatti and a glass of red and was sent to heaven!
Thanks for the recipe Richa, it has served me well.
Hi Richa,
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious. I couldn’t find urad dal in my neighbourhood, so I used plain brown lentils, and it still turned out great! Not as authentic due to the different lentils, but it still tasted so rich and flavourful! I didn’t have a pressure cooker, so I made it on the stovetop instead; it just took a bit longer. I will definitely make this again, and I’ll make a trip to the punjabi market here in Vancouver to find some urad dal. Can’t wait for your cookbook!
yay! so glad it turned out great! Yes, do try urad (whole black urad lentils for this recipe). All of the different types of lentils/beans have a distinct taste and texture and they work so beautifully in some particular recipes!
Hello!
I was wondering where to find black gram? I am actually also in Seattle and would prefer to avoid ordering online if it can be found in store.
Thanks!
you can find it in all the Indian grocery stores.
like Mayuri in 2560 152nd Avenue Northeast
Redmond, WA
Apna Bazaar 2245 148th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98007
r & M grocery in Udistrict 5501 University Way Northeast, Seattle, WA 98105
or find one near you here https://thokalath.com/grocery/
some of the listings on this link are just spice stores. call them before going.
Hi Richa,
I wound up here looking for a recipe that uses flour made from black gram lentils.
I inadvertently bought bag when I was looking for chickpea flour!
Since I like the idea of low fat, vegan, Indian cooking, I found you!
Can you direct me? Thanks a lot!
Catherine, you can use it like chickpea flour to make crepes like this https://fettabbau-trim.today/2011/11/chilla-puda-chickpea-flour.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
you can also use it to make dosa crepes. use black lentil flour + rice flour, let is ferment a bit and then make the crepes. Like these. https://fettabbau-trim.today/2012/04/dosa-lentil-and-rice-crepes-vegan.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E