house black daal | dishoom london
House Black Daal
recipe courtesy of Dishoom
serves around 8-10 ppl
INGREDIENTS
300 grams whole (black) urad daal
12 grams garlic paste*
10 grams ginger paste*
70 grams tomato purée
2/3 tsp deggi mirch chilli powder (available on Amazon)
1/3 tsp garam masala
90 grams unsalted butter
90 ml double cream
Note
** Scroll down the “starter kit” page for a ginger and garlic paste recipe. Or otherwise, follow Dishoom’s version that split the two, to be used separately as needed: 3 garlic bulbs or 180 grams fresh root ginger, 25 ml vegetable oil, plus extra to store the paste. Using a mini food processor or blender blitz the garlic or ginger with the oil until it is a smooth paste. The oil should be enough to loosen the moisture; if it seems too thick add 2-3 tsp water.. Place in a clean, sterilized jar and cover the service with a think layer of oil. Store in the fridge and use within 10 days.
Method
Instructions, written verbatim below from The Sunday Times Magazine where the recipe was first printed.
Pour the daal into a bowl, cover with water and stir for 10 seconds. Let the daal settle, then pour out the water. Repeat three or four times, until the water is clear.
Tip the daal into a large saucepan and pour in at least 4 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil and cook steadily for 2-3 hours. Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface, and add more boiling water as required to keep the grains well covered. The daal grains need to become completely soft, with the skins coming away from the grain. When pressed, the white part should be creamy, rather than crumbly. When cooked, turn off the heat and allow the pan to sit for 15 minutes.
In a bowl, mix the garlic and ginger pastes, tomato purée, chilli powder, garam masala and 8g fine sea salt to a paste.
Carefully pour off the cooking water from the daal, then pour on enough freshly boiled water to cover by about 4cm. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat and add the aromatic paste and butter. Cook rapidly for 30 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the mixture from sticking.
Lower the heat and simmer for 1-1½ hours, stirring very regularly and adding a little boiling water if the liquid level gets near the level of the grains. Eventually, it will become thick and creamy. The creaminess must come from the grains disintegrating into the liquid, not from the water being allowed to evaporate, leaving only the grains behind.
Add the cream and cook for a further 15 minutes. Serve with chapatis or other Indian breads.
