Sookhi Urad Dal is a delicious Punjabi-style dal recipe. It is a lunchtime staple in every Punjabi household. I am sharing my mother-in-law’s special sookhi urad dal recipe that we all love in the family.
About Urad Dal
Urad Dal is rich in fibre, good for bone health, and has many other nutritional benefits. It is widely used in Indian Cuisine to make a variety of dishes. But there is a variety of urad available in the market.
Difference between sabut urad, dhuli urad and chilka urad
Whole Black Urad (sabut urad) is also known as black urad dal. The husk is attached to the grain; it is used for making the famous Dal Makhani. The Split Urad (chilka urad) is black and white. It has a removable husk attached to the grain. After soaking the lentil, this husk is easily removable. The White Urad (dhuli urad) is pale white and has no husk attached to the grain.
You need skinless white urad dal (split urad dal without skin) or dhuli urad to make this Punjabi sookhi dal.
Do you need to soak urad before cooking?
Yes, all types of urad require 5 – 6 hours of pre-soaking before cooking. Otherwise, it takes a longer time to cook. Hence, soaking helps reduce the cooking time and makes it easier to digest.
What to make with urad dal?
Here are some Indian dishes you can make using a variety of urad.
Punjabi Sookhi Urad Dal
Sookhi Urad Dal Recipe is an easy and tasty everyday Indian dal to serve with chapati or paratha. It is a unique, gluten-free, wholesome urad dal recipe.
The word ‘Sookhi’ in Hindi and Punjabi means dry. Unlike other Indian dal recipes, this urad dal preparation is dry, like a sabzi or stir fry.
Sookhi Urad Dal is a virtual treat with perfectly golden fried onions embellished on top. This urad dal recipe adds variety to your daily meal menu.
Ingredients Required
Urad: Use white, skinless urad (dhuli urad) for this dal recipe. Skinless urad also has two varieties – split and whole. Try to use a split white urad.
Oil: I use ghee for frying onion, but you can use refined or flavourless vegetable oil.
Spices: Turmeric Powder, Chilli Powder, Garam Masala, Asafoetida
Onion, Green Chilli, Ginger Garlic Paste, Salt, Coriander, Water
How To Make
Step 1: For this urad dal recipe, clean, rinse and soak the urad in enough water for 5 – 6 hours or, best, overnight.
Step 2: In a pressure cooker, add soaked urad along with water, salt, asafoetida, chopped green chilli, and ginger garlic paste. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Pressure Cook over low heat for 3 whistles. Allow the steam to release naturally.
Step 4: Heat ghee or oil in a small pan, and fry the sliced onion until golden.
Step 5: Open the lid of the pressure cooker, and check dal for doneness. Add chilli powder, garam masala, and mix nicely. At this stage, taste and add more spices and salt if required.
Step 6: Transfer urad dal to a serving platter. Add a layer of fried onions, chopped coriander, and a drizzle of lemon juice. Urad Dal is ready to serve.
Serving Suggestion
Punjabi Sookhi Urad Dal is one of our lunchtime favourites.
The day Sookhi Urad Dal is prepared, the lunch table is lined with coriander chutney, piping hot ghee, kachumber salad, and boondi raita.
The air surrounding the dining table is undoubtedly luring and full of unsaid excitement; jittery fingers are visibly eager to dive into sookhi urad dal along with piping hot phulkas.
You can serve it with paratha or plain chapati also.
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Punjabi Urad Dal Recipe
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
- 1 Cup skinless white urad dal (dhuli urad)
- 2 green chili, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (see recipe)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- 2 Cup water
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala see recipe here
Ingredients For Tadka (Tempering):
- ¼ Cup ghee
- 1 Cup sliced onion
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
- For this urad dal recipe, clean, rinse and soak the urad in enough water for 5 – 6 hours or, best, overnight.
- In a pressure cooker, add soaked urad along with water, salt, asafoetida, chopped green chilli, and ginger garlic paste. Stir to combine.
- Pressure Cook over low heat for 3 whistles. Allow the steam to release naturally.
- Heat ghee or oil in a small pan, and fry the sliced onion until golden.
- Open the lid of the pressure cooker, and check dal for doneness. Add chilli powder, garam masala, and mix nicely. At this stage, taste and add more spices and salt if required.
- Transfer urad dal to a serving platter. Add a layer of fried onions, chopped coriander, and a drizzle of lemon juice.
- Serve Sookhi Urad Dal warm with chapati for lunch.
Recipe Notes:
- Ensure the urad is soaked for at least 5 hours, or it will not cook properly.
- Do not add too much water to cook the dal. It is a semi-dry dal. Hence, we do not need too much liquid.
- 2 – 3 whistles over low heat on a stovetop pressure cooker are enough to cook the dal. Cooking for too long will make it mushy. In an electric pressure cooker, it takes 5 – 6 minutes.
- Make sure onions are golden fried before pouring over the dal.
- Vegan Dal: You can make vegan urad dal by skipping ghee in the tempering. Instead of ghee, use coconut oil.
aishwarya says
nice recipe..tried it today…worth relishing… 🙂
hem lata says
super tasty