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Mashkalai dal
মাষকলাই ডাল (mashkalai dal): Rajshahi split black gram with ginger, finished with crisp fried onion and garlic
In Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj, in the far west of Bangladesh, mashkalai dal is eaten with thick kalai ruti flatbreads and a fiery bhorta, especially on winter mornings and evenings. Split black gram is cooked until creamy and slightly sticky, flavoured with ginger, then crowned with onion and garlic fried crisp in mustard oil. It is filling and earthy with a gentle heat. The usual mistake is boiling it too hard: mashkalai foams over and catches, so keep the lid ajar and the heat low. Chef's tip: fry the onion and garlic separately and add them just before serving, so they stay crisp on top of the dal.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 7 oz split black gram (mashkalai / urad dal with skin)rinsed and soaked 30 minutes
- 4 ½ cups water
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp fresh gingergrated
- 3 green chilliesslit
- 1 tsp salt
For the tempering
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlicthinly sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drain the 7 oz split black gram (mashkalai / urad dal with skin) and put it in a heavy pot with 4 ½ cups water, ½ tsp ground turmeric and half the 1 tbsp fresh ginger. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam.
8 minStep 2: Lower the heat, set the lid ajar and simmer for 30–35 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the grains are completely soft and the dal is thick and creamy. Add hot water if it gets too stiff.
33 minStep 3: Stir in the rest of the 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 3 green chillies and 1 tsp salt and simmer 3 minutes.
3 minStep 4: In a frying pan, heat 3 tbsp mustard oil over a medium heat until shimmering. Fry 2 onions for 8 minutes until golden, then add 6 cloves garlic and 2 dried red chillies and fry for 2 minutes more until crisp and golden; do not let the garlic go dark brown.
10 minStep 5: Pour the onion, garlic and oil over the dal, scatter over 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve with flatbread or rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mashkalai dal take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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