Ingredients
1 cup black lentil (whole black urad)
1/4 cup red kidney beans (rajma)
1 black cardamom
1 bay leaf
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 asefotida (hing)
1 small onion;finely chopped
1 small Roma tomato;finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger;grated
1 tbsp sea salt(adjust to taste)
1 tbsp of Garam Masala
1/4 tsp of red chili powder(adjust to taste)
3 tbsp cashew cream
Preparation
*Rinse lentils and rajma. Soak them together overnight with cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon stick with 2 cups of water.
1. Pressure cook soaked lentils, rajma, black cardamom and cinnamon stick together with 1 cup of water. It takes 5-6 whistles of pressure cooker.
2. Take a medium size saucepan and place on medium heat.
3. Add cumin seeds and asefotida. Stir them until cumin seeds turn light brown.
4. Add onions to the saucepan. Sauté them until they turn light brown (add 2-3 tbsp of water if onions are sticking).
5. Add tomatoes and ginger to onions. Sauté them for 1 min.
6. Add salt to tomatoes and onions. Sauté them until tomatoes look mushy.
7. Add Garam Masala and red chili powder.
8. Sauté tomato, onions, Garam Masala and red chili powder for 5-7 mins. It will look like a paste.
8.Transfer the cooked lentils and rajma to the saucepan.
9. Add 1 cup water and mix it well.
10. Lower the heat to simmer.
12. Cook dal for about 45-50 mins. Keep stirring dal every 5-7mins. If dal/lentils look thick, add 1/2 cup water and mix well.
13. Add cashew cream to dal for buttery/rich look and flavor. Cook for another 3 mins. Cover the lid of saucepan and turn off the heat.
14. Serve your favorite dal hot with whole wheat naan, roti, quinoa or brown rice.
*I am putting tadka (extra flavor) to my dal without oil and ghee. Tadka is optional. (Youtube – https://youtu.be/ZAjS7FHHF6Q)



What is hing ?
It is a common spice in the Indian Kitchen and is optional in my recipes but adds great flavor.
Information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida
What I use in my kitchen – https://amzn.to/2DdmCKc
For pressure cooking the lentils and beans, what does 5-6 whistles of the pressure cooker mean? How long would that be?
Sorry for the confusion. The pressure cooker has a pressure release valve on the lid. During cooking, it releases the pressure, in form of whistling the steam out. Basically, you want the lentils cooked but not mushy. Pressure cooker reduces cooking time. I hope this helps.
Any idea how long to cook the lentils and beans in an Instant Pot?
Thank you.
Hi Bob – I am about to get an InstaPot to try it out. I googled and found this link helpful but haven’t tried it personally. Please avoid for them to get mushy – https://www.rainbowplantlife.com/blog/how-to-cook-lentils-in-the-instant-pot
If you cook on Instant pot, set it on Manual 8 , it will work great. I use the INstant pot for pretty much everything and love it!
Thank you Anu for the tip to all readers.
Hi, after soaking the lentils overnight, should I keep the water? Normally I would toss it and add new water for cooking, but I don’t usually soak spices with the beans overnight so now I’m not sure. thanks!
Hi – I toss the soaked water too. sorry for the late reply.