Sultani Dal Recipe

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.

5 from 9 votes

Sultani dal (also called Lucknowi dal) is a nawabi lentil dish of Mughal origin. Lentil is cooked with rich ingredients, giving it a truly royal feel. Here is how to make it.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Mughlai, North Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: people

Author: Neha Mathur

Ingredients

To Cook The Dal

1 cup toor dal
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
2 tablespoons heavy cream

For Tempering

3 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2-3 whole dried red chilies
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons chopped green chili
¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
½ cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 tablespoon Kasuri methi

For Smoking The Dal

1 piece charcoal
1 teaspoon ghee

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook The Dal

Rinse the toor dal three times until the water runs clear. Soak it in water for 15 minutes. Soaking the dal cuts cooking time and makes the texture silkier.
Drain and add the soaked dal to a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water, turmeric, and salt. Cook on medium heat for 4 whistles. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Open the cooker and mash the dal lightly with a whisk or ladle.
Add milk, yogurt, and heavy cream, and mix everything well. If the dal looks too thick, add some hot water and mix well. You want a smooth, flowing consistency.
Place the cooker back on a low flame. Stir for 4 to 5 minutes until the dal turns creamy and silky. Keep the flame low. High heat will split the yogurt. Check for salt and add more if needed.

To cook the dal in an Instant Pot, add the soaked dal, turmeric, and salt to the inner pot. Add 2 cups of water. Secure the lid. Press the PRESSURE COOK button and set the timer to 10 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Quickly release the remaining pressure. Then open the lid. Press the SAUTE button and follow the rest of the recipe.

Temper The Dal

In a small pan, heat ghee over medium heat.
Once the ghee is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them crackle.
Add dried red chilies, ginger, chopped garlic, green chilies, and hing. Fry until the garlic turns golden, not brown.
Add the onions and dried red chilies, and fry over medium-high heat until the onions are slightly browned. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
Turn off the heat and add Kashmiri chili powder and crushed kasuri methi. If the heat is not switched off, red chili powder will burn and will give a very bad taste.
Pour this hot tadka immediately over the dal. Stir gently.

Smoke The Dal

Heat a small piece of charcoal directly on the gas flame until it glows red.
Place a small steel bowl in the center of the dal. Drop the hot charcoal into the bowl, add a clove, and pour 1 teaspoon of ghee on top.
Cover the cooker immediately and let the smoke infuse for 2 minutes. Remove the bowl carefully.

This step gives sultani dal its signature smoky aroma. Skip it only if you absolutely cannot get charcoal.

Nutrition