Amritsari Dal also known as ‘Langar Wali Dal’ or Maa Chole ki Dal is a bowl of soul satisfying comforting dal prepared with whole black gram (urad dal) and split black chickpea (chana dal) tempered with garlic, onion and tomatoes.
Amritsari Dal or Langar wali Dal gets its name as it is served at community meals (called langar) in Gurudwaras. Gurudwaras – place of worship for the Sikh community. Langar is a community kitchen and, as part of it, free vegetarian food is served in the kitchens of a Gurdwara (a Sikh temple) every day all over the world. Langar is an important part of worship for Sikhs.
Langars are prepared and served by volunteers of the community and the food is simply delicious! Amritsari dal is a popular recipe on the langar menu hence, giving it the name Langar wali Dal – meaning, Langar style dal.
I love the simplicity of this dal and it always transports me to the handful of langars I have had the privilege to eat at. My mother used to make langar wali dal especially during the Delhi winters and quite magically she was able to replicate the flavourful gurudwara taste. It must be something to do with how much love and devotion goes in cooking!
Other recipes you might like to try are Dal Makhani, Moong Dal Palak, Moong Dal Chilla, Rajmah and Sindhi Dal Pakwan to name a few.
