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Dal Sultani Recipe | Awadhi Style Sultani Dal | The Best Toor Dal Recipe
Dal Sultani is a rich and delectable lentil dish from the royal kitchens of the nawabs of Awadh, present-day Uttar Pradesh.
As the name – Dal Sultani – indicates, this dal is not your everyday humble dal. Rather, it is a shahi dal, with a rich and regal taste profile and hence considered suitable for the refined and discerning palate of sultans, nawabs, and aristocrats.
This toor dal recipe (arhar dal recipe or split pigeon pea) using Organic Shastra’s delicious organic toor dal is cooked with milk and cream for a smooth, creamy, and luscious texture. It is flavoured with a mélange of spices for a mouth-watering aroma, infused with smoke (dhungar) from a piece of coal for enhanced flavour, and then finished off with a tadka (tempering) of ghee with cumin and garlic.
Awadhi Style Sultani Dal is somewhat similar to Dal Makhani, one of the most well-known North Indian lentil dishes, in that both use dairy products to achieve a thick, rich, and creamy consistency.
Follow our dal preparation to learn how to make Dal Sultani at home using basic ingredients found in any kitchen and transform simple toor dal / arhar dal (split pigeon pea) into a celebrated dish worthy of being served on special occasions. This culinary makeover is quick and easy and requires little extra effort or preparation apart from the dhungar (charcoal smoking) as can be seen in our daal recipe below.
Garnish our Awadhi Dal recipe with sliced green chillies and mint leaves.
Serve Awadhi style Sultani Dal hot with plain steamed rice, jeera rice, or biryani, or with naan, roti, chapati, phulka, lachcha paratha, or bakarkhani.
Click here to see all Organic Shastra products including this organic toor dal.
You might also like some of our other Awadhi recipes:
Veg Tahiri
Badal Jaam
Yakhni Pulao
Galouti Kebab
Nargisi KoftaOr take a look at all our Vegetarian Recipes right here!
Note: This is a sponsored post. The opinions shared by Yummefy are based on our personal experience and usage of Organic Shastra products.
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RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
250 grams toor dal, or arhar dal (split pigeon peas), about 1¼ cups
1⁄2 teaspoon ginger paste
1⁄2 teaspoon garlic paste
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1⁄2 teaspoon red chilli powder
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350 ml milk, whole milk or full-cream milk
100 ml cream
1/8 teaspoon clove powder
1⁄4 teaspoon green cardamom powder
1 large pinch saffron, soaked in 2 teaspoons warm milk
1⁄2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Dhungar (smoke infusion):
1⁄2 onion, peeled to remove 1 thick cup-shaped layer
1 charcoal, small piece
2 teaspoons ghee
Tempering:
2 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced at an angle
Garnish:
1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
COOKING METHOD
- Place arhar / toor dal (split pigeon peas) in a bowl and wash under running water, gently stirring and mixing the dal with your hands, draining each time the bowl fills up. Do this 2 or 3 times till the water runs clear; then let soak in fresh water, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain.
- Cook dal: Add drained arhar / toor dal (split pigeon peas) to a pressure cooker over high heat. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, and pour in 400 ml water (about 1 2/3 cups). Stir well, then seal the pressure cooker. Once the cooker reaches full pressure (at the first whistle), reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for another 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and open once cool. Most of the water will have been absorbed. Pick up a grain of dal and squeeze it between your fingers. It should be very soft and should disintegrate when pressed. Use a potato masher, or the top side of a mallet, or a heavy spoon to mash the dal till smooth.
- Give dhungar (smoke infusion): Transfer the mashed dal to a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and spread it evenly. Create a “hole” or gap in the center of the mixture with a spatula. Lay an onion layer (cup shaped) in the center gap and use a pair of tongs to place a piece of hot burning charcoal on the onion. Pour 2 teaspoons ghee onto the charcoal; it will start smoking. Immediately cover the dish tightly with the lid and set aside for 15 minutes to allow the smoke to infuse the dal. Remove charcoal and onion, and pour smoke-infused ghee over the dal.
- Pour in milk and cream. Add clove powder, green cardamom powder, and saffron along with the milk in which it was soaked. Place the saucepan back on heat and whisk well with a balloon whisk, 3 to 4 minutes, till no lumps remain and the dal is smooth in consistency. Toss in ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Check seasoning, adding more salt if needed.
- Tempering (tadka): In the meanwhile, place a small kadhai or other small cooking utensil on the flame. Pour in 2 tablespoons ghee and, once hot, toss in cumin seeds and garlic slices. Give it a good stir and cook till the cumin seeds start to change colour, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the cumin seeds. Pour the tempering over the dal and stir through. Remove dal from heat.
- Garnish dal: Transfer Sultani Dal to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander leaves and chopped green chillies. Serve immediately with naan or chapati.
Serves: 4 as part of larger meal
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Place arhar / toor dal (split pigeon peas) in a bowl and wash under running water, gently stirring and mixing the dal with your hands, draining each time the bowl fills up. Do this 2 or 3 times till the water runs clear; then let soak in fresh water, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain.
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