This delicious Punjabi dal is made with a few humble ingredients, yet it is full of flavor.
This lentil soup has a few different names: langar wali dal (or langar dal for short), Amritsari dal, and maa chole di dal. Or you can call it what I used to call it as a child – when I’d ask my mom to make me some “gurudwara dal.”
This is the dal that you’ll find served at any gurudwara, a place of worship for those who practice the Sikh religion. Every gurudwara has a langar hall, a place where volunteers serve free vegetarian meals to anyone who visits, regardless of race, religion, economic status, etc. Everyone sits together on the floor to eat, as equals. It’s a beautiful concept and my favorite thing about the religion. You may have heard of the most well-known gurudwara: The Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. I have been there several times and hope to take my toddler Tony there one day soon.
Langar dal is typically simmered over low heat. Today, I’m sharing my instant pot version, which has the same flavor but is made in a fraction of the time. To make the whole process even easier, I’m making this dal with my pre-made onion masala. Having this onion and tomato masala on hand makes this dal an almost “dump and go” type of recipe. You need to brown the cumin seeds in some ghee for extra flavor, then add everything to the pot and cook.
An onion masala recipe:
This recipe is part of my Indian Onion Masala Series, where I share recipes that call for exact amounts of onion masala. Click the graphic below to find out how to make onion masala, store it, and find other recipes that call for it.
Langar dal is made with two types of lentils: whole urad dal (whole black lentils) and chana dal (split yellow chickpeas). I wrote a blog post explaining the different types of Indian lentils if you want to read more about them.
This dal contains a good amount of ghee, which adds a delicious and creamy flavor to the dal. I also like to top the dal with a bit of heavy cream before serving, but you don’t have to do this! The dal will taste amazing with or without a touch of cream.
This recipe is similar to my dal makhani recipe but also a bit different. If you like my dal makhani, then you’ll also love this recipe.
Serve this dal with fresh roti (or another Indian flatbread) or basmati rice. I also love pairing it with raita (to make raita: mix yogurt with a bit of water, salt, and roasted cumin powder).
And remember, like most dals, this dish will thicken a bit as it cools. If you warm it up the next day, you can always stir a bit of water into the soup to thin it out if needed.
I hope you love this! Let me know what you think of it! 🙂
Instant Pot Langar Dal (Amritsari Dal)
Instant Pot Langar Dal (Amritsari Dal)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ghee divided
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 cup whole black urad dal soaked in cold water overnight
- ÂĽ cup chana dal rinsed
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup frozen or thawed onion masala
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
Â
- optional garnish: a light drizzle of heavy cream and cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Press the sauté button, add 2 tablespoons of ghee to the pot and once that melts add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds turn brown, add the remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee and garnish with a drizzle of heavy cream and cilantro if desired. The dal will continue to thicken as it cools.
Notes
- This recipe is part of my onion masala series – be sure to check it out!
- If you have frozen cubes of onion masala, just toss those in – no need to thaw them first.
- This dal will thicken as it cools. When you warm up leftovers, you may need to add water or stock to thin it out on the stovetop.
Shlp says
I love making this recipe, it is creamy and delicious every time and my kids eat it up. Thanks for this easy to follow recipe!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you and your kiddos like this recipe 🙂
Reir says
This turned out really well, thank you!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Reir, happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
poonam kirpalani says
Hi Ashley
I love all your recipes …for this recipe do we need to add jeera powder and dhaniya powder
Since i do not put any of these dry masalas when I’m making my onion / tomato masala to freeze
Thanks
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Poonam! If you didn’t add any spices directly to the onion masala then you will want to add them to any recipe calling for onion masala.
Eda Birch says
Excellent flavor. I was surprised I didn’t need to pre soak the Channa Dal, but it is so creamy.
I used vegetable ghee. If you use coconut cream, for garnish, it makes a savory vegan dish.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Eda, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your vegan modifications, I’m sure it’ll help others. 🙂
Alasdair says
I have another Langar ki Dal recipe I prefer on a regular basis, but I needed to make this nightshade-free for a pod-mate who has an allergy. With your nomato onion masala, it turns out rather sweeter than I had expected (must be all the beets), but a little extra salt and tamarind paste balanced that out. Thanks!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Glad it worked well!
Asha Mohanty says
Loved your langar dal recipe Ashley. Tried it yesterday and it was absolutely delicious!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Asha, I’m so glad you liked the langar dal! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you. 🙂
Sujata says
Ashley,
Did you use black Urad Dal?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sujata, yes 🙂 I’ll add the word black before urad dal in case others have the same question. Thanks for asking!
Manasa says
Thank you so much for yet another Great Fool Proof Recipe!! Everyone at home enjoyed it. I wanted to find out if I can double the recipe and freeze a portion of it for a later day. Would you say this is a freezer friendly recipe?
Manasa says
Tried this recipe last night and everyone at home loved it.. Thank you so much for another fool proof recipe. Just had a quick question. Does this dal freeze well?
Gitali says
Love love love! I had onion masala ( which btw I always keep in my freezer now), and I wanted to cook some delicious daal. So I thought to make this. I doubled the recipe because I like to have left overs for next day. I just changed ghee to veg. oil, & I came out so perfect. And if you are trying this, don’t leave out heavy cream at the end. It makes it perfect.
My Heart Beets says
Gitali, that’s so great to hear! Love that you always have the onion masala in the freezer 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how much you liked this dal!