RECIPE: Dishoom's House Black Daal, US Customary Measurements

This recipe takes SEVEN HOURS to cook, after an overnight soak!  Is it worth it?

There is a thread on REDDIT where people are rhapsodizing over Dishoom - a restaurant in London - House Black Daal, so much so that I almost bought their cookbook.  But, the cookbook is expensive, so I decided to test this recipe first.  I tracked down an online recipe and converted the measurements to US Customary, no mean feat! 

My husband LOVED this daal with rice - it reminded him of red beans and rice!  I wasn't thrilled with it - there was too much tomato/acid for my taste - so I did not buy the cookbook, yet.  I need another data point.  I did not make Dishoom garam masala...perhaps that will be my next data point...

I will be making this recipe again, for my husband, so I am adding it to the blog.  If you make it, please LMK if  you think it's worth the 7-hour process.

Dishoom's House Black Daal

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups whole black urad daal
• 8 cloves of garlic, mashed into a paste
  
• 3 T. minced ginger, mashed into a paste
• 6 oz tomato paste (I inadvertently used 7 oz)
  
• 3 t. salt
• 1.5 t. deggi mirch chili powder (this is a blend 1/2 kashmiri and 1/2 bell pepper used for COLOR)
• 1/3 t. Dishoom garam masala (I used Pure Indian Foods, which is the closest I could find) 
• 12 T (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 c. heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

If possible, soak the daal in cold salted water overnight.  The soaking water will be brown.  If you don't have time to soak, pour the dal into a large bowl, cover with water and whisk for 10 seconds.  Let the dal settle then pour out the water.  Repeat 3-4 times until the water runs clear.

Drain the dal and tip it into a large saucepan (I used a 6-quart pan), and pour in at least 4 quarts of water.  Bring it to a boil and cook for 2-3 hours, skimming any scum that forms on the surface of the water.  Keep the grains well covered, adding more boiling water as needed.  

Once the dal grains are soft, with the skins falling off and the white insides feeling creamy, not crumbly when you pinch a grain between your fingers, turn off the heat and let the pan set for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the garlic paste, ginger paste, tomato paste, salt, chili powder, and garam masala into a paste.

Pour away the cooking water from the dal and cover with enough freshly boiled water to cover by 1.5 inches.  Bring to a boil, then add the paste from the small bowl along with the butter.

Cook on medium to medium-high for 30 minutes, stirring constantly to insure it doesn't stick to the bottom.

Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1-1.5 hours, stirring as much as you can and adding more boiling water if the water level starts to reach the grains.  The dal will eventually thicken and the original recipe advises that: "creaminess must come from the grains disintegrating into the liquid and enriching it, not from the water being allowed to evaporate and leaving only the grains behind."

When the dal is thick and creamy, add the cream and cook for another 15 minutes before transferring to bowls.  Serve with naan or chapatis.  (I served it with rice and coriander chutney)

Dishoom Garam Masala (oven method)

1. 1 black cardamom pod
2. 4 cloves
3. 5g. black peppercorns
4. 2 large cinnamon sticks
5. 10g. coriander seeds
6. 5g. cumin seeds
7. 4g. fennel seeds
8. 2g. star anise
9. 1 bay leaf
10. 2g. mace blades
11. 10g. poppy seeds
12. 2g. dried rose petals
13. large pinch saffron
14. grated nutmeg (optional)

Heat over to 50C or as low as it will go.  Line a baking tray with parchment-lined foil

Spread the first 10 ingredients on the lined tray and place in the oven for 2.5 hours.

Add the remaining ingredients, put the tray back in the oven and turn the oven off.  Set a timer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, transfer the cooled spice mixture to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.  Store in an airtight glass container.