TAJ Urad Dal | 2-Pounds | Indian Origin | Split Matpe Beans

Quality product, a great addition to many South India recipes

Clean fresh and lovely

This TAJ Urad Dal is of very poor quality. It is probably too old. Does not cook well.

This is something I had never had before, but I’m always willing to try any grain, bean, flour or similar product. This one does not disappoint. I found it difficult to find any easy instructions online for what this seems to be (specifically, shelled or skinless, as most online sources said Urad Dal would be black, and these are not black). Some sources said they’d need to soak for several hours and cook for a long time. Others said they only needed rinsed. I decided to experiment – with the Instant Pot. In the Instant Pot, these take about 20 minutes to cook – no soaking required. I tried a ratio of one part Urad Dal to just under three parts liquid (chicken broth, beef broth, veggie broth, salted water, broth with Indian flavors, whatever you want). They cook up soft and creamy and delicious. You can do anything with them. The “bean” itself isn’t very flavorful but they soak up any flavor you throw at them. The creaminess reminds me of risotto, but instead of dairy and a time-consuming and picky broth process, you just press a button on the pressure cooker. If you go further, to 25 minutes in the Instant Pot, they almost turn into porridge. If you seasoned with a bit of salt and added some maple or date syrup, you’d have an easy, creamy, hearty and heartwarming breakfast. They really can be anything. Definitely one of my new favorite foods!

What can I say, I love lentils. I ordered the TAJ Urad Dal because I have a hard time finding anything other than green lentils in my local grocery stores. I prefer red or yellow lentils for the pleasant coloring. These came well packaged with no tears or damage to the bag. The beans are clean and, though I sorted them as I do with any dried bean, I didn't find any stones or other foreign bits. I love that these come in a 2-lb package so that I can have some on hand to whip up into my dishes quickly.

These Urad Dal split lentils are a good source of protein. 18 g of protein in a half a cup of dry lentils. They also provide a lot of fiber and have a good nutritional profile. As a vegetarian I like the variety of recipes that can be prepared with these lentils as a healthy alternative to meat. I enjoy dal soup and add these lentils to other soups to provide texture. The lentils are cooked through in about 30 minutes and do not need to be soaked as required with dry beans. But remember to add liquids such as vegetable stock or coconut milk before finishing or serving as needed since the lentils will absorb liquid.

These skinned split black lentils are great protein source. 16 g of protein in a half a cup of dry lentils. Also tons of fiber and a good nutritional profile. Even contains a good amount of iron and potassium as well as a little calcium. I am neither vegan nor vegetarian but I do eat a lot of meatless meals and this is a good healthy alternative to meat. I recently added these to soup, and in about 30 minutes they were cooked thru and had added some thickness and creaminess to the soup without having to add any dairy or thickener. I found a recipe for spicy urad dal that I’m going to try next and serve over brown rice. I do love beans, and I am happy to add this one to my collection.

I didn't make an Indian dish with these, but just boiled them with broth and our favorite seasonings. They are smaller than split peas so they cook up tender very quickly. The longer you cook them the softer they get and they can even become almost creamy. We prefer them with a little bite. It's really hard to go wrong with lentils so we love them.