{"slug":"dhaba-style-beluga-pinto-bean-dal","collection":"recipes","is_recipe":true,"visibility":"public","title":"Dhaba-Style Beluga \u0026 Pinto Bean Dal","description":"A thick dhaba-style dal: pressure-cooked black beluga and red lentils simmered with pinto beans in a reduced tomato and red onion masala, finished off the heat with butter and garam masala.","body_md":"1. **Pressure cook the lentils:** Put the 250g beluga lentils, 100g red split lentils, and 946g water in a pressure cooker. Seal and cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent the rest. The beluga lentils should be tender but whole, and the red lentils fully dissolved into a thick, starchy broth. Set aside without draining.\n\n2. **Bloom the whole spices:** Heat the 42g oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot (at least 4L) over medium heat. Add the 9g cumin seeds, crushed black cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick, and 6 cloves. Fry for 30–45 seconds, until they crackle and the cloves swell.\n\n3. **Brown the onions:** Add the 275g diced red onion and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned and jammy. Red onions color quickly, so watch the heat.\n\n4. **Bloom the aromatics and ground spices:** Stir in the 36g garlic and 38g grated ginger and cook for 90 seconds, until the raw smell fades. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the 10g Kashmiri chili powder, 8g ground coriander, 1.5g turmeric, and 12g of the salt. Stir constantly for 45 seconds, without letting the spices scorch.\n\n5. **Reduce the tomatoes:** Add the 794g blended tomatoes and 4g (1½ tsp) of the garam masala. Raise the heat to medium and simmer for 12–15 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce darkens to a thick, glossy paste and red oil separates at the edges. Taste it, and if the tomatoes have a sharp, metallic edge, stir in the 2g sugar.\n\n6. **Combine and simmer:** Add the cooked lentils with all their liquid, the 350g pinto beans, and the 15g ginger matchsticks. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Crush 10–12 of the pinto beans against the side of the pot with a spoon or potato masher to thicken the gravy. Simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring often so the lentils don't stick, until thick and cohesive.\n\n7. **Finish off the heat:** Turn off the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick if you like. Stir in the remaining 4g (1½ tsp) garam masala, 2.5g roasted ground cumin, 1.2g black pepper, and 42g butter until the butter melts and the surface has a sheen. Rest uncovered for 5–7 minutes, then taste and add more salt if needed.\n\n8. **Serve:** Ladle into wide bowls and scatter with the 40g cilantro. Serve with naan, roti, or basmati rice, and put the cold yogurt on the table for anyone who wants it, about 30g (2 tbsp) per serving.\n\n## Notes\n\n- **Provenance:** Michael's recipe, received 2026-11-01. The text opened with a recommendation written in an AI assistant's voice, so it may be AI-assisted. Its original source wasn't stated.\n- **Michael's changes after cooking it:** The original also called for 3.5g (1–1¼ tsp) hot red chili powder or cayenne, which he left out as too hot. Add it in step 4 if you want more heat. The original fried 2 whole cracked black cardamom pods and suggested removing them at the end; he used only the crushed seeds.\n- **Keep the butter:** The source strongly recommends it, at about 5–7g per serving. With this much acidic tomato and chili, it carries the fat-soluble spice flavors, softens the tomato bite, and gives the dal its gloss. For a vegan version, use vegan butter and leave out the yogurt.\n- **Salt (changed from source):** The source lists 12–14g as \"2 to 2½ tsp Morton/fine salt, or ~8g Diamond Crystal\". This recipe keeps 12–14g, shown at the house rate of 3g/tsp for Diamond Crystal, because equal weights of salt are equally salty whatever the brand. The source's 8g figure is dropped. The Diamond Crystal spoon measure is calculated, not sourced. Canned tomatoes, canned beans, and salted butter all add salt, so taste before adding more. By weight this is lighter than the usual 1–1.5% seasoning ratio, but Michael confirms he cooked it with this amount.\n- **Spice weights:** The source pairs 9g with 1 tbsp of cumin seeds and 8g with 1 tbsp of ground coriander. Both are heavier than a typical level tablespoon (roughly 6g and 5g, from converter sites rather than a primary source), so the spoon measures may give less than the weights. Michael confirms he cooked it as written. Weigh these two if you can.\n- **Other changes from source:** Butter is 42g rather than 43g, to match the house rate of 14g/tbsp. The yogurt total of 180–240g is calculated from the source's 30g per serving for 6–8 servings. The 4L minimum pot size is an estimate added here; the source doesn't give one.\n- **Timing:** The 45-minute cook time is the source's; the 1-hour total is prep plus cook. In the order written, the timed steps add up to about 61–73 minutes including the rest, plus the time the cooker takes to reach pressure. 45 minutes only works if the lentils cook alongside the masala. Michael confirms he cooked it as written, including the 7–8 cup yield. Whole cloves stay in the finished dal.\n","draft":false,"servings":"6–8 servings (about 7–8 cups)","prep_time":"15 minutes","cook_time":"45 minutes","total_time":"1 hour","times":{"prep":{"minutes":15},"cook":{"minutes":45},"total":{"minutes":60}},"source_name":"Family: Michael","created_at":"2026-11-02T01:12:47.848322Z","updated_at":"2026-11-02T01:36:24.279531Z","categories":["Main"],"tags":["Beans","Black Lentils","Dal","Lentils","Red Lentils"],"methods":["Pressure Cooker","Stove-Top"],"themes":["Indian","Vegan Adaptable","Vegetarian"],"ingredients":[{"section":"Lentils, Beans \u0026 Cooking Liquid","items":["250g (1¼ cups) black beluga lentils, rinsed","100g (½ cup) red split lentils (masoor dal), rinsed","946g (4 cups) water","350g (drained weight, from one 540g / 19 oz can) pinto beans, rinsed"],"parsed":[{"raw":"250g (1¼ cups) black beluga lentils, rinsed","qty":250,"unit":"g","item":"black beluga lentils","prep":"rinsed"},{"raw":"100g (½ cup) red split lentils (masoor dal), rinsed","qty":100,"unit":"g","item":"red split lentils","prep":"rinsed"},{"raw":"946g (4 cups) water","qty":946,"unit":"g","item":"water"},{"raw":"350g (drained weight, from one 540g / 19 oz can) pinto beans, rinsed","qty":350,"unit":"g","item":"pinto beans","prep":"rinsed"}]},{"section":"Aromatics \u0026 Tomato Base","items":["42g (3 tbsp) neutral oil (canola, avocado, or sunflower)","275g (1 large or 2 medium) red onion, finely diced","36g (10–12 cloves) garlic, minced or grated","38g (2½ tbsp) fresh ginger, finely grated","15g (1-inch piece) fresh ginger, sliced into thin matchsticks","794g (one 28 oz can) canned chopped tomatoes, blended smooth"],"parsed":[{"raw":"42g (3 tbsp) neutral oil (canola, avocado, or sunflower)","qty":42,"unit":"g","item":"neutral oil"},{"raw":"275g (1 large or 2 medium) red onion, finely diced","qty":275,"unit":"g","item":"red onion","prep":"finely diced"},{"raw":"36g (10–12 cloves) garlic, minced or grated","qty":36,"unit":"g","item":"garlic","prep":"minced or grated"},{"raw":"38g (2½ tbsp) fresh ginger, finely grated","qty":38,"unit":"g","item":"fresh ginger","prep":"finely grated"},{"raw":"15g (1-inch piece) fresh ginger, sliced into thin matchsticks","qty":15,"unit":"g","item":"fresh ginger","prep":"sliced into thin matchsticks"},{"raw":"794g (one 28 oz can) canned chopped tomatoes, blended smooth","qty":794,"unit":"g","item":"canned chopped tomatoes","prep":"blended smooth"}]},{"section":"Whole Spices (Khada Masala)","items":["9g (1 tbsp) cumin seeds","2 large black cardamom pods (badi elaichi, about 3g with husks), seeds only, crushed","2.5g (one 2-inch piece) cinnamon stick or cassia bark","6 whole cloves (laung, about 0.6g)"],"parsed":[{"raw":"9g (1 tbsp) cumin seeds","qty":9,"unit":"g","item":"cumin seeds"},{"raw":"2 large black cardamom pods (badi elaichi, about 3g with husks), seeds only, crushed","qty":2,"item":"large black cardamom pods, seeds only, crushed"},{"raw":"2.5g (one 2-inch piece) cinnamon stick or cassia bark","qty":2.5,"unit":"g","item":"cinnamon stick or cassia bark"},{"raw":"6 whole cloves (laung, about 0.6g)","qty":6,"item":"whole cloves"}]},{"section":"Ground Spices \u0026 Seasoning","items":["10g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) Kashmiri chili powder","8g (1 tbsp) ground coriander","1.5g (½ tsp) ground turmeric","8g (1 tbsp) garam masala, divided","2.5g (1 tsp) roasted ground cumin (bhuna jeera)","12–14g (4–4⅔ tsp Diamond Crystal) kosher salt, to taste","1.2g (½ tsp) black pepper","2g (½ tsp) granulated sugar, optional"],"parsed":[{"raw":"10g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) Kashmiri chili powder","qty":10,"unit":"g","item":"Kashmiri chili powder"},{"raw":"8g (1 tbsp) ground coriander","qty":8,"unit":"g","item":"ground coriander"},{"raw":"1.5g (½ tsp) ground turmeric","qty":1.5,"unit":"g","item":"ground turmeric"},{"raw":"8g (1 tbsp) garam masala, divided","qty":8,"unit":"g","item":"garam masala","prep":"divided"},{"raw":"2.5g (1 tsp) roasted ground cumin (bhuna jeera)","qty":2.5,"unit":"g","item":"roasted ground cumin"},{"raw":"12–14g (4–4⅔ tsp Diamond Crystal) kosher salt, to taste","qty":12,"qty_max":14,"unit":"g","item":"kosher salt","prep":"to taste"},{"raw":"1.2g (½ tsp) black pepper","qty":1.2,"unit":"g","item":"black pepper"},{"raw":"2g (½ tsp) granulated sugar, optional","qty":2,"unit":"g","item":"granulated sugar","prep":"optional"}]},{"section":"Finishing \u0026 Serving","items":["42g (3 tbsp) salted butter","40g (1 small bunch) fresh cilantro, chopped (leaves and tender stems)","180–240g (about 30g / 2 tbsp per serving) Icelandic-style yogurt (skyr), chilled, optional","Warm garlic naan, roti, or steamed basmati rice, for serving"],"parsed":[{"raw":"42g (3 tbsp) salted butter","qty":42,"unit":"g","item":"salted butter"},{"raw":"40g (1 small bunch) fresh cilantro, chopped (leaves and tender stems)","qty":40,"unit":"g","item":"fresh cilantro","prep":"chopped"},{"raw":"180–240g (about 30g / 2 tbsp per serving) Icelandic-style yogurt (skyr), chilled, optional","qty":180,"qty_max":240,"unit":"g","item":"Icelandic-style yogurt","prep":"chilled, optional"},{"raw":"Warm garlic naan, roti, or steamed basmati rice, for serving","item":"Warm garlic naan, roti, or steamed basmati rice, for serving"}]}],"servings_int":6,"qc":{"status":"passed","last_checked_at":"2026-11-02T01:36:36.683092Z","checked_by":"Robert","standard_version":"2026-09-06","findings_count":0,"stale":false,"completeness_gaps":[]},"mine":false}