Sultani Dal or Lucknowi Dal is a nawabi lentil recipe that is of Mughal origin. The dal is cooked along with rich ingredients which gives it a truly royal feel. Here is how to make it.

About This Recipe
Having been born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh and having lived in the hub of the Mughal Empire for a few years, my love for Mughlai food has no boundaries. From Kebabs, Biryani, Kormas to the rich vegetarian spread, this cuisine has something in store for everyone.
Sultani Dal is one of the dishes from the royal cuisine where the humble meal of the day has been given a majestic makeover. It is our everyday lentil cooked in milk and then made royal with the addition of cream and other spices.
For preparing this dal, firstly, the dal is cooked in milk, cream, and exotic Indian spices. It is then simmered in a mixture of milk, yogurt, cream and tempered with ghee infused with garlic, ginger, and chilies, this dal is sure to make your lunch and dinner more regal.
Whenever we get tired of the monotonous meals, all we need is a piping hot bowl of this creamy Lucknowi Dal to bring in some fresh breeze in our day to day lives!
Having said that, I have even served it to my guests on countless occasions. It turned out to be a delicious delight for them as well.
This dish brings in royal flavors on the table yet it does not compromise with the feeling of relishing a homely meal.
Made from the most basic ingredients which we always have at our homes, it doesn’t require any extra effort or preparation.
Now that you are impressed by this recipe, do the honor of preparing wholesome Lucknowi Dal at home, serve it with Zeera Rice or Laccha Parathas to your loved ones and let them feel royal, eh?
Ingredients

Tuvar Dal – This recipe uses your good old tuvar dal, which is cooked along with salt, turmeric powder, and water.
Cream – Sultani Dal is known for its richness, and therefore this one has a lot of cream in it. You can either use the homemade cream or buy the store-bought one.
Yogurt – Yogurt adds a little bit of tang and adds to the creamy texture of the Dal.
Milk – To thin the Dal out, we will add in a little milk which will make the dal thin without making it watery.
For Tadka – This Dal uses a ghee tadka of cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, green chilies, onion, dry red chilies, and red chili powder.
You can adjust the amount of green chilies as per your taste. Dry red chilies and red chili powder add a subtle hit in the Dal when added to the tadka.
Always add red chili powder after switching off the gas, otherwise, it might burn in the hot ghee and won’t taste great in the Dal.
How to make Sultani Dal?
Wash the lentil and add it to a pressure cooker along with salt, turmeric powder and 2 cups of water.

Cook the dal on high heat for one whistle and then simmer the heat to low and cook for another 2 whistles.

Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure release, open the lid of the cooker and whisk the dal using a wire whisk.

Add milk, yogurt and cream and mix well.

Cook the dal on low heat till it thickens a bit.

Heat ghee in a pan.

Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds. Fry for 20 seconds. Add ginger, garlic and green chilies and fry for a few seconds.

Add onion and dry red chilies and fry till onions are slightly browned.

Switch off the heat and add red chili powder to the pan. If the heat is not switched off, red chili powder will burn and will give a very bad taste to the dal.

Pour this tadka immediately over the dal. We don’t want the chili powder to burn. Mix the dal well.

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Recipe Card


Sultani Dal Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup tuvar dal
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 300 ml milk
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- 2 tsp chopped green chili
- 2-3 dry red chilies
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp red chili powder
Instructions
- Wash the lentil and add it to a pressure cooker along with salt, turmeric powder, and 2 cups of water.
- Cook the dal on high heat for one whistle and then simmer the heat to low and cook for another 2 whistles.
- Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure release, open the lid of the cooker and whisk the dal using a wire whisk.
- Once the pressure release, open the lid of the cooker and add milk in the dal.
- Add milk, yogurt, and cream and mix well.
- Cook the dal on low heat till it thickens a bit.
- Heat ghee in a pan.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds. Fry for 20 seconds. Add ginger, garlic, and green chilies and fry for a few seconds.
- Add onion and dry red chilies and fry till onions are slightly browned.
- Switch off the heat and add red chili powder to the pan. If the heat is not switched off, red chili powder will burn and will give a very bad taste to the dal.
- Pour this tadka immediately over the dal. We don’t want the chili powder to burn. Mix the dal well.
- Heat a piece of coal until it is red hot.
- Keep an inverted vessel in the dal vessel and keep the coal piece on top of it.
- Pour some ghee on the red hot coal and immediately close the lid of the dal vessel and let the smoke penetrate the dal.
- Discard the coal and mix the dal well.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and green chilies.
- Serve hot with rice or Phulkas.