LALA MUSA DAL/ A UNIQUE MIXED DAAL TADKA/A SIGNATURE DAAL DISH FROM PAKISTAN/MIYAN JI KI DAAL LALAMUSA
It rarely happens that a place gets so much popularity by a dish. This popular dish becomes its signature one and the place is known by the name of that particular dish. Interestingly, I learned about a Daal(Lentil) dish from a Pakistani co-passenger while traveling abroad. The famous dish, I came to know that day, was Lala Musa Dal from Miyan ji Hotel at G.T. Road on the way between Lahore and Islamabad.
Lala Musa is a small town that gradually became famous due to a daal preparation first introduced by a local dhaba on the highway called Miyan Ji Hotel during the 50s decade. Since then this daal dish has become very famous among locals, travelers, tourists, celebrities, and even politicians.
SOME FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT TASTE AND TEXTURE OF THIS FAMOUS LALA MUSA DAAL !
This is a no-fancy dal prepared with three types of deals(lentils) that is chana dal, Lal masoor dal, and dhuli(split) urad daal. In this way, this is a mixed daal preparation. All those people, who had migrated from undivided Pakistan, might have familiar with these three daals. Same as them these daals are still a major part of daily meals of families living here. This simple yet divine daal does not call for spoons full of spices. A few spices like red chilly powder, jeera, kali mirch, and a couple of spoons of desi ghee(Clarified Butter)are quite enough to get the divine taste. *Ghee is the star ingredient of this unique daal. Its cooking technique differs it from other daal preparations in which it is roasted and mashed continuously (ghotna/घोंटना) while cooking to get a creamy, thick, and smooth consistency. This process helps to bring out the real taste of this daal in which every single bit of daal (gram) is invisible and incorporated well. Let’s try to cook this wonderfully tasty daal 😊😋
Prep Time – 3 hrs(prep time requires soaking of daals)
Cook Time – 1 hr at very low flame
Cuisine – Pakistan
Type – Dhaba Food
Course – Main
Author – Bharti Dhawan
● INGREDIENTS REQUIRED
• Chana dal(split Bengal gram) – 1/2 cup
• Dhuli urad dal – 1/4 cup
• Lal masoor dal – 1/4 cup
• Water for rinsing and soaking dals – Sufficient enough
• Water for cooking dal – 4 cups
• Ghee/ Clarified Butter – 5 tbsp
• Medium sized onion – 1 no
• Garlic cloves – 5-6
• Thick curd – 2-3 tbsp
• Salt – 1 tsp/ to taste
• Red chilly powder – 1 tsp/to taste
• Turmeric/Haldi powder – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin/Jeera – 1 tbsp
• Whole black pepper/Kali Mirch – 1 tbsp
• Fresh coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
● PREPARATIONS TO BE DONE
1 – Rinse well all the three daals and soak for minimum 3 hrs
2 – Roast cumin and black pepper in 1 tsp ghee and grind coarsely with the help of little water. When ground, transfer it to a bowl for later use
3 – Finely chop onion, garlic cloves, and coriander leaves
4 – Whisk the curd to a smooth consistency (not to add water plz)
● FINAL PROCEDURE TO MAKE LALA MUSA DAAL
1- Add the three daals, 4 cups water, salt, turmeric powder, half spoon red chilly powder, and 1 tsp ghee to a heavy bottom vessel and allow it to boil
2- When daals start boiling, remove all the scum from top of boiling daal
3- Allow daals to cook at low flame. Cover the pan with a lid.
4- After half an hour, daals start to thicken. Take a masher or heavy spoon, start mashing daals while it is boiling at low flame for (it took 15 minutes at low flame)
5- Keep stirring and roasting daal at low flame. Prepare to make tadka/Tempering on another burner
6- Add 2 tbsp ghee to a pan and add chopped garlic. Cook garlic at low flame and add chopped onions.
7- Allow them to cook at low flame until they turn golden brown
8- Add remaining half tsp of red chilly powder and whisked curd.
9- Stir continuously so that curd does not split
10- When ghee is separated, add boiled and nicely mashed daal. It should be creamy and smooth. Keep the flame low and stir well
11- Add crushed cumin-black pepper at this stage and mix well
TIME FOR FINAL TADKA/TEMPERING
1- Add chopped coriander leaves to the cooked daal
2- Heat 3 tsp ghee in a tadka pan to the smoking point
3- Pour this hot ghee all over cooked daal (especially on coriander leaves)and immediately cover the pan with a lid so that cooked daal absorbs the aroma and flavours of hot ghee to turn it divine
4- Serve the tasty daal with Tawa Naan or Choor-Choor Ajwain Paratha
Enjoy 😋❤️
● NOTES AND TIPS
1 – The daals/lentils must be soaked for three or more hours in lukewarm water
2 – The actual divine taste comes with pure ghee(Clarified Butter),so plz add it generously
3 – Feel free to add spices to your taste but the original dish calls for mild spices
4 – Keep dal thick and creamy. Add little lukewarm water while cooking, if needed
5 – If you are cooking daals in pressure cooker, add 3 cups of water and cook it until 5-6 whistles come (But I’ll recomend it to cook in an open vessel for the authentic taste)
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE A FEW MORE HARD CORE PUNJABI DAAL DISHES
DAL PESHAWARI/ DHULI URAD KI SOOKHI DAL
URAD CHANE KI DAL/PUNJABI URAD-CHANE KI DAL
