I first heard of this dish in a television drama where one character cooks a feast and one of the dishes was Dal Akbari. The name really intrigued me and I went online searching for the recipe. I found a recipe, which I bookmarked to make one day. This dish is most likely from the Mughal courts.

That one day came last week when I tried this dish. The dish didn’t look very appealing, but was very tasty. It didn’t take very long to cook, just the soaking time for the dal is quite long.

Dal Akbari

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole black urad dal (black lentils), soaked in water for 8 hours or overnight
• 1/2 cup yoghurt, well beaten
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp dry mango powder (amchur powder)
• 1 -2 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 dashes nutmeg powder
• 2 tbsp ghee or oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Wash the soaked urad dal and cook it in a pressure cooker till it is soft and mushy. Beat well and keep aside.
• If using the stove to cook it, then cook it, stirring occasionally till it is soft and mushy. Keep aside.
• Heat the ghee or oil in a pan and when the fat warms, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
• Next, add the grated ginger and stir for a few seconds.
• Then quickly add the well beaten yoghurt and some salt to stabilse the yoghurt and on a medium low flame, let the yoghurt come to a nice rolling boil. Keep stirring constantly to ensure that the yoghurt does not curdle.
• When the yoghurt starts to leave the sides of the pan, add the dry spices – dry mango powder, nutmeg powder, salt and garam masala powder. You can also add red chilli powder if you like your dal spicy.
• Pour the cooked dal over this and stir well to mix. Check for seasoning and add what is missing.
• Garmish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or Indian flatbread.

Note: This recipe will also work well with the addition of fresh cooking cream. If you plan to add it, add it just before you add the yoghurt.