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    Home » daal

    Spicy Urad Dal (Black Gram Lentil Dal)

    Published: Jan 10, 2022 · Modified: Feb 18, 2023 by Richa 35 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    Spicy Urad Dal – a simple but delicious vegan Indian daal recipe with black gram lentils in a fragrant Indian gravy that makes for the perfect comfort food dish to add to your weeknight or weekend dinner rotation. Gluten-free.

    spicy urad dal served over rice with some lime slices and sprinkled with cilantro

    This spicy urad dal is the perfect dish to spice up a simple weeknight or weekend dinner.

    You will love this dish not just for the mouthwatering blend of spices and depth of flavor but also for its heartiness. Serve it with roti, flatbread, brown rice or white rice or cauliflower rice and a simple plant-based curry or a spices veggie side for a nutritious meal that will have everyone licking their plates clean.

    spicy ural dal served with rice

    Let’s talk about dal for a moment.

    Indian food incorporates several Dals in everyday meals. Split peas, split and whole lentils and split and whole beans. Various are available locally and seasonally while others are more readily available in everyday grocery stores.

    Most commonly used Dals include Masoor Dal(split skinned brown lentils) , whole masoor( whole brown lentils) , moong dal( split skinned mung beans) sabut moong(green mung beans), urad dal( split skinned black lentils) , whole urad, Chana dal(split skinned brown chickpeas) and more!
    You can see all the Indian and English names and pictures of the Dals here

    This spicy urad dal starts with boiling the lentils to the preferred tenderness (I do this in a pressure cooker but you can do it on the stovetop as well, see notes). To get the flavors going we incorporate a method called tempering, or tadka, the process of heating oil and adding a few spices to it. Here, we add whole cloves, cumin and bay leaves.

    urad dal in a black skillet

    What is Urad Dal?

    Urad dal are split, black urad or black lentils (vigna mungo) . These are not the same as the beluga lentils you might have at home. You can use urad dal without skin or a with skin in this recipe, but you definitely want to use the split kind. White/beige is the type without skin, the other will be black on one side. Urad dal is also lower carb among the dals. Whole Urad or whole black gram is used to make Dal makhani. You can use those here as well, just make sure to co them long enough. (40 minutes in instant pot).

    You can also use the petite yellow lentils – moong dal which is split green mung beans. Or use red lentils. The naming in various stores varies and yellow lentils can be round or the long ones. The long ones are moong dal. See pictures on myDals post to find the right dals.

    This year I plan to make a lot more Indian food and introduce you to variety of dishes that you won’t always find in Indian restaurants. Restaurants keep a limited popular items menu but there’s so much more in Indian cuisine! If you try any of these recipes do leave a review on the recipe post!

    spicy urad dal served in a white bowl

    More Vegan Dal Recipes:

    • Punjabi Dal Fry
    •  Lentil Curry Casserole
    • Easy Chana Dal
    • Kashmiri Dal
    • Dal Tadka Mix in a Jar
    • Oil free Lentil Soup. Spicy Garlic Dal
    • Hubbs’ Dal fry
    • dal makhani 

    Print Recipe
    5 from 15 votes

    Spicy Urad Dal

    Spicy Urad Dal - a simple but delicious vegan Indian daal recipe with black gram lentils in a fragrant Indian gravy that makes for the perfect comfort food dish to add to your weeknight or weekend dinner rotation. Gluten-free Soyfree Nutfree
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: lentil recipes vegan, spicy dal
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 185kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    • 3/4 cup (150 g) Urad dal (split black gram lentils) or use moong dal(petite yellow lentils). See notes for more subs
    • 1.5 cups (354.88 ml) water
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt

    For the tempering:

    • 2 teaspoons oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 2 cloves
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
    • 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder or use 3/4 teaspoon paprika
    • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1/3 teaspoon cayenne or Indian red chili powder optional
    • 1 cup finely chopped onion
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 large ripe tomato chopped about 3/4 cup

    For finishing:

    • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
    • 1 hot green chili such as Indian chili, thai chili or serrano finely chopped or you can also use mild green chili like Anaheim (use only about a tablespoon chopped or a tablespoon of finely chopped green bell pepper)
    • cilantro and lemon juice for garnish

    Instructions

    • Soak the dal in hot water for at least 15 minutes. Ideally, soak for 30 minutes.
    • Once soaked, drain and add to an instant pot with the water and salt and pressure cook for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
    • To cook it on the stove top, add the dal, 2 cups of water, and salt to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, partially covered for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender to preference.
    • Make the tempering: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and wait for it to get hot.
    • Add the cumin seeds and cook until the seeds change color and get very fragrant. They will sizzle and continue to change color. Then add in the cloves and bay leaves and mix. Then add in the ground spices and mix in.
    • Then add in the onion and garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix really well and continue to cook until the onion is golden brown.
    • Add in the tomato and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the tomatoes are saucy. Add in a splash of water if the tomatoes are not juicy enough and if they start to stick to the skillet. This will take 5 to 7 minutes.
    • Mash the larger pieces. Add in the cooked dal (lentils) along with the cooking liquid and mix well and simmer until the dal reaches desired consistency. The dal keeps thickening as it sits so you do want a little bit of extra liquid in there.
    • Taste and adjust salt and flavor and add in the minced ginger and the green chili and a dash of lime or lemon juice, lightly mix and take off heat. Garnish with cilantro. Serve over rice, roti, flatbread, or naan.

    Video

    Notes

    • This dal can be made khada (just cooked so the lentils are not broken down) as well as creamy where the lentils are cooked till they break down into a creamy mix. Cook longer for creamy and less for separated lentil texture
    • Dal substitutes: You can use either urad dal without skin or a with skin but definitely use the split kind. Sub with petite yellow lentils, which is moong dal which is split green mung beans. Time remains same. For using red lentils (masoor dal), pressure cook 3 minutes. For whole urad(whole black gram lentils), pressure cook 35-40 minutes 
    • for spicier, add 2 dried red chilies or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes with the bay leaves
    • For Oilfree : dry toast the cumin seeds on a skillet over medium heat. Then add in some broth and bay leaves and cloves and continue with the rest of the step adding broth as needed for sautéing 
    • Make it into a soup: most Dals can be made into soups. Add more water to preference and bring to a boil and serve with garlic bread on the side. 

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Spicy Urad Dal
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 185 Calories from Fat 27
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3g5%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Sodium 349mg15%
    Potassium 170mg5%
    Carbohydrates 27g9%
    Fiber 6g25%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 11g22%
    Vitamin A 588IU12%
    Vitamin C 10mg12%
    Calcium 40mg4%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Ingredients:

    • Urad dal – black daal soaked in hot water
    •  whole spices: cumin seeds, cloves and bay leaves are tempered in some oil to get the flavors going
    • then we add ground spices to the tempering: ground coriander, red chili powder, and paprika as well as turmeric
      and black pepper
    • chopped onion and minced garlic are added to the mix
    • tomato and water is being added to make that delicious fragrant sauce
    • minced ginger and fresh green chili are added to the finished daal along with a dash of lime or lemon juice

    Tips:

    • This dal can be made khada (just cooked so the lentils are not broken down) as well as creamy where the lentils are cooked till they break down into a creamy mix. Cook longer for creamy and leas for separated lentil texture
    • You can use either urad dal without skin or a with skin but definitely use the split kind.
    • You can also use the petite yellow lentils, which is moong dal which is split green mung beans)

    ingredients needed for making urad dal recipe

    How to make Spicy Urad Dal:

    black gram being soaked in warm water

    Soak your dal in hot water for at least 15 minutes. Ideally, soak for 30 minutes.

    Once soaked, drain and add to an instant pot with the water and salt and pressure cook for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. To cook it on the stovetop, add the dal, 2 cups of water, and salt to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, partially covered for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender to preference.

    cumin, bay leaves and cloves being tempered in oil

    Make the tempering : Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and wait for it to get hot.


    Add the cumin seeds and cook until the seeds, change color and get very fragrant. They will sizzle and continue to change color. Then add in the cloves and bay leaves and mix. Then add in the ground spices and mix in.

    ground spices being added to tempering to make ural dal

    Then add in the onion and garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

    chopped red onion being added to tempering to make ural dal

    Mix really well and continue to cook until the onion is golden brown.

    fried onion cubes with spices in a skillet

    fried onions with Indian spices in a black skillet

    fresh tomatoes being added to skillet with onions and spices

    Add in the tomato and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the tomatoes are saucy. Add in a splash of water if the tomatoes are not juicy enough and if they start to stick to the skillet. This will take 5 to 7 minutes.

    fresh tomates, onions and spices in a black skillet

    Mash the larger pieces. Add in the cooked dal (lentils) along with the cooking liquid and mix well and simmer until the dal reaches desired consistency. The dal keeps thickening as it sits so you do want a little bit of extra liquid in there.

    base for urad dal

    cooked black gram being added to tempering in a skillet

    Taste and adjust salt and flavor and add in the minced ginger and the green chili and a dash of lime or lemon juice and take off heat.

    urad dal in a black skillet

    Garnish with cilantro. Serve over rice, roti, flatbread, or naan.

    green chile and garlic being added to ural dal in a black skillet

    What to serve with spicy Urad Dal

    With any Dal a side a spiced veggies pair best. Along with some fresh basmati rice or roti flatbread. Try some Gobi aloo (cauliflower potatoes), bhindi masala (okra), cabbage, poriyal (spiced green bean carrot ) .

    Spicy urad daal served with rice

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    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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    1. Su

      March 10, 2023 at 4:28 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner tonight, as I had a bag of skinned-but-whole (i.e. not split) urad dal I need to use up.
      Came out (Chef’s kiss)! and I even forgot to add the lemon juice.
      Unusual and awesome recipe!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        March 11, 2023 at 5:12 pm

        yay!

        Reply
    2. Meraj

      February 16, 2023 at 7:56 pm

      5 stars
      I have made this twice, and both times it came out perfect. I am a big fan of yours. I follow you on Facebook and have all your books. All anyone has to do is follow the directions in the recipe and it turns out amazing

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        February 17, 2023 at 12:39 pm

        So happy to hear, Meraj!

        Reply
    3. Sandra

      January 24, 2023 at 2:44 pm

      Richa, if I’m cooking the stove top method and using Urad Gota (that’s all I have) would the cooking time change substantially?

      Sandra

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 25, 2023 at 2:11 pm

        Yes it would be close to double cooking time

        Reply
    4. Karen

      October 05, 2022 at 7:21 am

      5 stars
      Finally bought some urad dal to expand the repertoire and tried it using this recipe. A winner, of course. Served with your butternut red lentil curry and rice.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        October 06, 2022 at 4:20 pm

        I’m so glad that you liked it

        Reply
    5. Sylke

      September 26, 2022 at 8:50 am

      5 stars
      I’ve been searching for a dal recipe that ticks all the boxes for me for a while and I think I’ve finally found it. Delicious! 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
      I used yellow split lentils and several spoons full of chopped tomato from a can (because that’s what I had in the house) and also doubled up the ginger. Perfect!
      Dals are such great dishes because lentils contain so much protein which means you really only need some carbs with them, nothing else, a perfect meal.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        September 26, 2022 at 2:52 pm

        Completely satisfying, thank you Sylke.

        Reply
    6. Jessica Guinn

      July 14, 2022 at 2:37 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe…I’ve made this several times, and even when I didn’t have every ingredient, it still came out great. And easy to make!
      We def eat our dahl with a dollop of full fat yogurt and with that I could eat the whole pot. One of the better dahl recipes out there (that I have found) for sure.
      Thank you for this meal!

      Reply
    7. Nina

      April 20, 2022 at 9:51 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is fantastic! I’ve cooked it a few times now and it always turned out great! Thank you so much for putting this one up! 🙂

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 20, 2022 at 12:05 pm

        Yay!

        Reply
    8. Sherry

      March 23, 2022 at 1:01 pm

      5 stars
      I love the dal recipes and super excited to hear you are going to share many more Indian dishes this year! I love the depth and variety of Indian cuisine, dals being such a great example of hundreds of ways to cook them! Thanks Richa!

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 23, 2022 at 8:04 pm

        Yes so many more to come this year!

        Reply
    9. David

      February 09, 2022 at 10:06 pm

      5 stars
      This is excellent. I’m just starting my cooking journey and stumbled on your website. Bookmarked this one as a favorite!

      Reply
      • Richa

        February 09, 2022 at 10:52 pm

        Awesome!

        Reply
    10. Jasmine

      January 31, 2022 at 9:46 am

      Hello, thank you for the amazing recipe! Can I substitute tomato paste for tomatoes? If so, how much paste do I put in? and is using red lentils okay?

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 31, 2022 at 4:58 pm

        1 tbsp paste and yes red lentils are fine

        Reply
    11. Martha

      January 30, 2022 at 6:53 am

      5 stars
      Look very delicious now try yet
      I will try to cook it , thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        February 02, 2022 at 6:31 pm

        hope you like it

        Reply
      • Victoria

        January 02, 2023 at 2:08 pm

        5 stars
        Hi I’ve not actually made this yet,
        Just wondering if I could cook the dal in a pan on the cooker? As I don’t have a pressure cooker

        Reply
        • Vegan Richa Support

          January 04, 2023 at 2:41 pm

          To cook it on the stove top, add the dal, 2 cups of water, and salt to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, partially covered for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender to preference. Enjoy!

          Reply
    12. Maneesha

      January 17, 2022 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      Amazing recipe, Richa! I’m loving your new Indian recipes! Please keep them coming! Also side question, from which part of India is this recipe for urid daal?

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 17, 2022 at 11:30 am

        It’s North Indian. There a couple of ways my mom , extended fam and friends make Dals. So it’s mix of the ways. The fresh chili and ginger is often used with Masoor dal for a summer dal.

        Reply
        • Maneesha

          January 18, 2022 at 5:17 am

          Wow, I LOVE it! Thanks so much for your beautiful recipes! They never disappoint!

          Reply
          • Vegan Richa Support

            January 21, 2022 at 11:32 am

            ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

            Reply
    13. Lauren

      January 11, 2022 at 1:38 pm

      If we use split urad dal with skin, how long would they cook in the instant pot?

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 11, 2022 at 1:58 pm

        Same time

        Reply
        • Lauren

          January 12, 2022 at 2:36 pm

          5 stars
          Thank you <3 I tried it today and it came out super tasty! Will definitely be making this again!

          Reply
          • Richa

            January 12, 2022 at 7:17 pm

            Awesome!!

            Reply
    14. Danielle

      January 10, 2022 at 6:01 pm

      5 stars
      THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE!! I had everything I needed (while taking a few liberties with the recipe) and it turned out sooo yummy. I put the lemon juice, minced jalapeño and minced ginger on top and it was the perfect touch.

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 10, 2022 at 6:35 pm

        Awesome

        Reply
    15. Bosha

      January 10, 2022 at 7:36 am

      5 stars
      Oh là là, on va se régalé, C’est Fabuleux !!!
      Malheureusement j’ai fini l’urad dal samedi dernier, dommage !
      J’en ai recommandé, mais en attendant je vais testé cette Merveille avec des moong dal. J’adore ce genre de plat avec du poriyal, c’est succulant. Nous sommes des fanes à la maison de la cuisine indienne, tu nous combles !
      Et un peu des rotis si délicieux.
      Merci pour cette recette ainsi que les propositions fantastiques que tu proposes.
      Merveilleuse Année 2022 pour toi et tes proches

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 10, 2022 at 11:00 pm

        Thank you! Happy new year to you too

        Reply

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