Langar Wali Dal (Maa ki Dal)
on Jun 10, 2022, Updated Oct 06, 2023
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This Langar wali Dal is a bowl of comfort – packed with proteins and an amazing flavour! This is the recipe of the dal prepared at Langars in Gurudwaras – a very unique recipe that uses urad dal, chana dal and rajma – making it super healthy!
I just love dal! It is easily in my top 5 favourite foods list. The day I ate Langar wali Dal, it was love at first taste. It’s incomparable to any other dal I’ve tasted and what makes it so special is that it is patiently prepped and prepared by volunteers at Gurudawars who donate their time to serve the needy.
I can eat a bowl of dal any time on any day and it always leaves me feeling super content. It’s one of those dishes that makes me nostalgic too, I grew up eating a lot of dal made from different pulses and in different ways. Each has their own unique flavour and one of my favourite varieties is the Langar wali Dal.
What is Langar wali Dal?
Langar refers to the community kitchen of a Gurudwara, the place of worship for Sikhs. Langars are prepared and served by volunteers of the community and the food is simply delicious! This dal is one such dish, giving it the name Langar wali Dal – meaning, Langar style dal.
- It is a super simple dish, elevated with a tempering made of spices and masalas that takes the flavour up a notch!
- It comes together quickly as well and only needs the dal to be soaked overnight. Pssst. If you forget to do this, you can always soak the dals in hot water in a tightly shut casserole using my fast soaking method
- Pressure cooking is the perfect way to cook this dal – fast! I love my Stahl Versatil Pressure Cooker that I’ve used in this recipe. Its tri-ply stainless steel, high quality and beautiful finish make this perfect when you want something that can go straight from the stove to the table
- It pairs excellently with a bowl of hot rice and ghee or tandoori rotis and kulchas!
- Add on dollops of fresh desi ghee or butter for extra flavour and richness.
Ingredients You’ll Need
How to make Langar Wali Dal
Here’s a step by step picture collage to show you how to make Langar Wali Dal
1. Soak urad dal, chana dal, rajma in a bowl overnight. Drain the water and set aside.
2. Add the dal along with crushed ginger, onion, green chillies, salt, bay leaf and 5 cups of water to a pressure cooker.
3. Turn on the heat, cover the lid and ensure the whistle is secured. Cook on medium flame until the first whistle and then turn the heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes in total. Once done, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally. Remove the whistle, open the lid and lightly mash the dal. Keep aside.
4. Add oil and ghee to a kadai and allow it to heat up on a medium flame. Add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter. Add bay leaf, garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add onion and fry until they turn golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.
6. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and green chillies and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the raw smell goes away.
7. Add tomatoes, green chillies, coriander leaves and cook for 7-8 minutes or until tomatoes have softened.
8. Add ¼ cup water when it starts sticking to the bottom and mix.
9. Lightly mash the dal in the pressure cooker.
10. Add the tempering mix to the dal and stir to combine.
11. Add garam masala and salt, mix, and bring this to a boil over medium heat.
12. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, add coriander leaves and mix. Serve hot!
Tempering/ Tadka For Langar wali Dal
The tempering or tadka is the most important part for infusing flavour into this dal! Lots of garlic and onions, fried in ghee along with chillies, tomatoes, cumin seeds and more take this dal from boring to amazing!
A lot of the flavour comes from the tadka (tempering) so be sure to cook it right. Make sure the onions are fried till golden brown and the tomatoes are cooked until fully softened. That’s how you pack in the flavours!
Pro Tip: Use fresh ginger, grated or crushed when pressure cooking the dal – it makes all the difference!
This post is sponsored by our friends at Stahl Kitchens who manufacture amazing Pressure Cookers and Triple Ply Stainless Steel utensils.
Watch the Recipe Video
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Langar wali Dal
Ingredients
Pressure Cook
- 1 Cup Urad Dal, soaked overnight and drained
- ½ Cup Chana Dal, soaked overnight and drained
- ¼ Cup Rajma, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 Tablespoon Crushed Ginger
- 1 Onion, finely chopped
- 2 Green Chillies, crushed
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 5 Cups Water
Dal Tempering
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Ghee
- 2 Teaspoons Cumin Seeds
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Large Onion, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon roughly chopped Ginger
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon roughly chopped Garlic
- 2 Tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ Tablespoon Coriander Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Red Chilli Powder
- 2 Green Chillies, chopped
- 4 Tablespoons chopped Coriander Leaves, divided
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Cup Water
- ¾ Teaspoon Garam Masala
Instructions
Pressure Cook
- Add soaked urad dal, chana dal, rajma, crushed ginger, onion, green chillies, salt, bay leaf and 5 cups of water to a pressure cooker. Turn on the heat, cover the lid and ensure the whistle is secured.
- Cook on medium flame until the first whistle and then turn the heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes in total.
- Once done, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally. Remove the whistle, open the lid and lightly mash the dal. Keep aside.
Dal Tempering
- Add oil and ghee to a kadai and allow it to heat up on a medium flame. Add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter. Add bay leaf, garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add onion and fry until they turn golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and green chillies and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the raw smell goes away.
- Add tomatoes, green chillies, coriander leaves and cook for 7-8 minutes or until tomatoes have softened. Add ¼ cup water when it starts sticking to the bottom and mix.
- Add this mix to the dal and stir to combine. Add garam masala, mix, and bring this to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, add coriander leaves and mix. Serve hot!
What is the cooking procedure for a Luddite with no pressure cooker?
Hey Neva, You may cook it in a pot for 50 minutes to 1 hour as it has to be mashable for best results.
Can’t i make it with masoor ( red splits )
Hey Mahin, you may try it with masoor dal, but the taste and texture of the dal may differ.
Hi Richa, does it have to be black urad dal? Can we use the usual white urad dal instead?
You can if you don’t have black urad dal. But the skin on black urad dal actually adds to the flavour which is why I recommend it Melissa
dal makhani is queen of food family,without it food is lonely….
This sounds delicious. Can you please make an instant pot version of the recipe?
Hey Sam, instead of Pressure cooking the dal in a traditional pressure cooker, you can make this in the Instant Pot – just cook it at high pressure for 25 minutes
Thank you so much for all the food blog options.
I found some amazing ones thanks to you !
Keep up the good work !
agreed