Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Maharashtra · Dinner

Warli Dal

The earthy, wild-herb flavoured lentil preparation of the Warli tribal community of Palghar and Thane districts — made with horsegram or masoor dal, wild garlic, dried chillies, and flavoured with forest herbs. Rustic, deeply flavourful, and unlike any mainstream Maharashtrian dal.

🧺 Ingredients

• 1 cup (180 g) kulith (horsegram) OR masoor dal, washed and soaked 2 hours
• 3 tbsp oil (or ghee if available)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp asafoetida (hing)
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly crushed with skin on
• 5 dry red chillies, broken
• 1 large onion (150 g), roughly chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes (150 g), roughly chopped
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 600 ml water
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander (or wild herbs if available)
• 1 tsp kokum water (or tamarind water) for tartness
• Horsegram (kulith) takes longer to pressure cook than regular lentils — 20 minutes on low after the first whistle is the minimum

👩‍🍳 How to make Warli Dal

1. Temper aggressively (Heat: high): Heat oil in a pot. Add cumin seeds — crackle. Add hing — 2 seconds. Add crushed garlic with skin — fry on high for 1–2 minutes until golden-brown and fragrant. Add broken red chillies — 20 seconds. The tadka should be bold, smoky, and punchy.
2. Add onion and tomato (Heat: medium-high): Add onion — fry 7 minutes golden. Add tomatoes — cook 5 minutes until softened. Add chilli powder and coriander powder — stir 30 seconds.
3. Add cooked dal (Heat: medium): Add mashed horsegram dal. Add remaining 200 ml water and salt. Stir to integrate. Add kokum water. Simmer on medium for 10 minutes until the dal is a thick, rustic, pourable consistency.
4. Add fresh herbs (Heat: off): Turn off. Add wild herbs or fresh coriander. Stir. The herbs wilt slightly in the residual heat.
5. Serve: Eat with jowar bhakri or steamed rice. The flavour is earthy, bold, and slightly bitter from the horsegram — very different from toor dal varan.

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