Made With Dal & Spices, Daal Mash Is A Delicacy From Lucknow That Not Many Know Of; Recipe Here

Lucknow’s culinary landscape needs no introduction. From melt-in-the-mouth kebabs to richly flavoured biryani, the city is, without a doubt, on every foodie’s bucket list. But beyond the kebabs, meaty delicacies, and chaat, its Awadhi cuisine also offers comforting dishes like daal mash that often go unnoticed. Here’s a simple recipe you can try on your next kitchen adventure.

Lucknow’s Love Affair With Daal Mash

Recently, the Instagram page Dadi Cooks, known for sharing stories and recipes from Lucknow and other Indian cuisines, highlighted why Lucknowites love daal mash, a simple, comforting dish that stands apart from the city’s rich kebabs and meaty delicacies. Made with split white urad dal and a handful of spices, the video describes it as a mildly spiced lentil preparation from Awadhi cuisine, celebrated for its delicate balance of aroma, softness, and comfort.

Calling the dish a “romance of the food”, Dadi explains that the tempering is the heart of the dish, while the dal itself is simply boiled. She adds that after indulging in heavier fare, daal mash works almost like a palate cleanser. She also advises against cooking it in a pressure cooker, as it can turn sticky, and recommends preparing it in an open vessel instead. The dish comes together in about 15 minutes, excluding the soaking time for the dal.

Also Read: Inside Lucknow’s Rashtriya Prerna Sthal With 65-Ft-Tall Bronze Statues Of India’s Iconic Leaders

How To Make This Dish At Home

Now, if you’re excited to try daal mash too, here’s a simple recipe –

Ingredients

Split white urad dal
Onions, chopped
Dry red chillies, whole
Cumin
Ginger
Garlic
Cloves
Bay leaf
Ghee

Method

1. Wash the dal carefully and let it soak for 3-4 hours.
2. Put it in an open vessel, add salt to it, and boil. If a foamy layer appears on top, you can remove it with the help of a spoon.
3. Then, add some chopped ginger and mix well.
4. Once the water comes to a level, it’s time to ‘dum’ it, which basically means covering it with a lid and letting it cook.
5. In the meantime, prepare your tempering with ghee, onions, cumin seeds, red chillies, and all the aforementioned spices.
6. Add the tempering to the dum cooked dal and mix well.

And, that’s it, your daal mash is ready! It is very soft and creamy and usually served with naan, roomali roti, or rice.

Also Read: From Hazratganj To Royal Café: Meethika Dwivedi Reveals Her Lucknow Hangouts

So, are you going to try this dish soon? Let us know in the comments!

Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/dadi_cooks.ae