Maa Chole ki Dal is a staple punjabi recipe made from combination of two lentils Chana Dal (yellow Gram) & split black urad dal (black lentils). Its creamy, nutty and super delicious and pairs extremely well with both Rice and Indian flatbreads like naan/roti with a side of salad for that complete meal!!
Soak the Chana Dal & split black urad dal for 30 mins, drain & pressure cook with 4 cups of water,salt & black cardamom till about done. (4-5 whistles).
Allow the steam to go away completely (naturally) before opening the pressure cooker lid.
While the dal cooks, in another pan heat some oil & once hot add the cumin seeds. When they splutter add onions and saute till they turn translucent and slightly golden.
Stir in the ginger, garlic & green chili paste & saute until raw garlic smell goes away.
Now add the tomatoes, salt & cook covered till the tomatoes turn soft. (Be careful when you add salt as you have added salt while cooking dal).
Add all the spice powders and mix well. Saute till this onion tomato masala starts oozing oil from the sides. Add this onion tomato masala in the cooked dal & mix.
Crush the kasoori methi in your palms & add it to this dal for extra flavor.
Simmer on low heat for 10-15 mins until creamy, stirring intermittently. Mash the dal with the back of your spoon to make it more creamy. Serve hot!
How to Make Maa Chole ki Dal in Instant Pot:
Wash and rinse the Chana Dal & split black urad dal thoroughly 3-4 times till water runs almost clear. Soak them for 30 mins while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
Start the InstantPot on saute mode (normal) and add oil/ghee to it & once hot add the cumin seeds, black cardamom and cloves.
When the seeds splutter add the onions & saute till they turn translucent and slightly golden.
Stir in the ginger, garlic & green chili paste & saute until raw garlic smell goes.
Add in the tomatoes, salt & cook covered for a minute or two.
Add the spices & mix well and cook for a few seconds.
Drain the water from the soaked dals and add them to this masala along with 3-4 cups of water.
Close the lid with Vent to sealing and cook on manual HIGH (or pressure cook) for 20 mins followed by quick release (natural release works too).
Open the lid and crush the kasoori methi in your palms & add it to this dal for extra flavor.
At this point the dal will be cooked and soft but still you can see the liquid and dal separate. So turn on the saute mode (low) and simmer this dal for another 10-15 mins to make it creamy, stirring intermittently. Mash the dal with the back of your spoon to make it more creamy. Serve hot!
Notes
You can use whole black urad dal inplace of split.
When using whole black urad dal - Soak 8hrs or overnight and then cook on manual high (or pressure cook or Bean Chilli mode) for 30 mins. Rest all recipe and ingredients remain same.