Among the Indian lentil soup (dal) made by Curry Boy, split black gram soup, aka urad dal, is one of his signatures. First boil the lentil, then sauté the spices, and cook the two together. It can be eaten with chapatis, but I like rice more. This recipe is Curry Boy’s private collection, and it’s delicious! So I asked him to share the secret bits and I memo it here.
The Key, The Ghee
This soup has a thick texture for a reason—the ghee. Be generous, 2 tablespoons of is needed to make a serving for 4 people! Although the calorie is not low, it has a high smoke point and is suitable for high-temperature cooking. It is said that it is superior to butter in nutrition, yet there are still many different opinions.
Ghee has a nutty aroma, which goes well with spices and could thicken the soup. If the dal soup is too thin, it’d be difficult to eat with chapati.
Some Indian Recipes You Might Like
- Easy and Super Fragrant Indian Fish Biryani
- Super Easy Moong Dal with Garlic Tadka
- Vegan Kale Potato Indian Curry
- Easy Indian Vegetable Pulao (Pilaf)
- Basic Aloo Gobi Curry with Flatbread and Dal
- Indian Potato and Peas Curry (Bombay Aloo Matar)
Curry Boy’s Split Black Gram Soup（Urad Dal）Recipe
Once you manage to fetch all the ingredients, this humble, hearty and delicious dal soup is very easy to make. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 130 g split black gram
- 550 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ small onion, diced
- ½ thumb-sized ginger, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 4 tbsp tinned chopped tomato
- 2 tbsp ghee
- black pepper
How to Make
- Boil water in a pot, add the salt and split black gram, bring to a boil and cook for 15 mins or until soft. Transfer the black gram (with water) into a bowl.
- With the same pot, warm the ghee over medium heat and fry the cumin seeds until fragrant. Then add the onions, garlic and ginger, sauté until the onions turn translucent.
- Scoop in the tomato and cook until the tomato’s water almost evaporate, then add turmeric powder and garam masala, cook for 2 mins.
- Return back the black gram (with water) to the pot, everything stir well. Add more water if you want it to be soupy. Have a taste and adjust. Serve with flat bread like chapati or rice.
