Kulthi, or horse gram dal, is a superfood with the highest protein levels of all the daals, and hardly anyone has heard of it! It's not commonly used in Indian kitchens, but it is often used to feed animals due to its high protein content, hence the name horse gram dal. Don't let this put you off enjoying this little nutrition bundle. I wanted to share this superfood recipe featuring horse gram dal so that you can learn about the health and medicinal benefits of this food. Great for vegetarians and vegans!
Horse gram dal is also known by various other names, including kulthi bean, gahat, hurali, or Madras gram. The cooked dal has an earthy flavour.
My recipe is the slow cook method, not using a pressure cooker, so the dal should to be soaked overnight.
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Key Ingredients & Notes
- Horse gram dal
- Baking soda
- Peppercorns
- Mustard seeds
- Ginger
- Cumin seeds
- Asafoetida
- Tamarind
- Turmeric
- Chilli powder
- Olive oil
- Curry leaf
Preparing the tamarind: Soak the tamarind in boiling water and set aside for five minutes. Then strain to extract the pulp. Add boiling water again to the remaining pulp and extract the pulp again. Discard seeds and skin
See the recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-step Photos
Soak the dal overnight or for at least eight hours.
After soaking, rinse and drain the horse gram dal.
Add to a heavy-bottomed pot along with the water, black peppercorn, baking soda and turmeric and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce to medium heat. Add the chopped ginger, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes until the daal is soft and breaks between the fingers.
Then add the tamarind, season with salt and cook, covered, for 15 more minutes.
For the tadka, heat the oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, and once the seeds start to pop, add cumin seeds, asafoetida and chilli powder. Remove the curry leaves from the stem and add to the tempering. This is a quick process, no more than a minute. Please give it a good mix.
Variations & Storage
You can flavour this daal differently by changing the spices. Perhaps instead of asafoetida, you can use fried onions, garlic, and tomatoes to flavour the dal.
This dal can be kept in the fridge for up to three days; always reheat thoroughly before eating. Add a bit of water if required while reheating.
Top tips
Please make sure you soak this dal before cooking. Soaking reduces the cooking time and changes the chemical composition of the dal, making the nutrients it contains more easily absorbed into the body.
The horse gram does not break down with cooking, but you can achieve a thicker dal by blending some of the cooked daal and mixing it into the dish.
FAQ's
Due to its high protein content, horse gram daal is suitable for both vegan and vegetarian diets. In the Ayurveda medicine system, it is held in high regard. I appreciate the comparison provided on the Isha Foundation website, which effectively illustrates the overall goodness of this legume. It has three times the calories of chicken, two times the protein of eggs, and ten times the calcium of milk. Horse gram recipes certainly deserve the title superfood recipes! Like most lentils and pulses, soaking them for a prolonged period helps make the nutrients they contain more absorbable by altering the chemical composition.
Like other lentils, horse gram can be sprouted and eaten for extra health benefits.
Tadka is the process and name of spices fried in hot oil to release their fragrance and flavours. This is a quick process, so be careful not to burn the spices. Ensure you have all your tadka ingredients ready before starting.
Using baking soda speeds up the cooking of the horse gram daal. The alkalinity that baking soda adds causes some chemical changes, enabling faster cooking. It will also help reduce gassy feelings in the stomach.
Related Recipes
Here is a selection of other delicious and nutritious dals.
📖 Recipe
Superfood Horse gram (Kulthi) Dal Recipe
Equipment
- Digital scales
Ingredients
- 200 g Kulthi/Horse gram dal
- 15 g Ginger
- 6 nos Black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 15 g Dried Tamarind
- 900 ml Water
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
Tadka
- 1 teaspoon Black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon Asafoetida
- ¼ teaspoon Red chilli powder
- 1 stem Curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon Oil
Instructions
Preparing the Tamarind
- Soak the tamarind in boiling water, set aside for five minutes, and then strain to extract the juice. Add boiling water to the remaining pulp and extract more juice; discard the seeds and the skin.
Cooking the Dal
- Soak the dal overnight or at least for 8 hours.
- Rinse and Drain the water from the daal and add it into a heavy bottom pot along with fresh water, black peppercorns, baking soda and turmeric; cover and bring to a boil.
- While the dal is boiling, peel and finely chop the ginger.
- Once the dal has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and remove scum forming on the top.
- Add the ginger, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the dal is soft and breaks when pressed between your fingers.
- Once the daal is cooked, add the tamarind juice and season with salt and continue cooking, covered, for another 15 minutes.
Making the Tadka
- Heat the oil in a small pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds, and once the seeds start to pop, add the cumin seeds, asafoetida and chilli powder. Remove the curry leaves from the stem and add to the tempering. Please give it a good mix.
- Add the tadka to the dal and mix.
- Serve the dal hot with flatbread or rice.
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
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