Maa Di Daal – The Urad Dal
A very nutritious lentil, the Urad Dal, is one of the most highly prized pulses of India. It is widely used in North and South Indian cuisines. At Daana, we offer both varieties of this lentil, the Whole Urad Dal and the Split Urad Dal.
Daana’s Urad Dal comes from Bichappa‘s Organic farm. His lands are entirely rain-fed. They use heirloom seeds which have been passed from generation to generation within their family.
India is where is the Urad originated. It is a very sought after dal in most parts of the country. It is believed to have been used in ceremonies as an offering instead of sacrificing animals. One major reason why this dal is high on the cultivation list, is that it improves the fertility of the soil and is resistant to all sorts of weather conditions. Other tropical areas like the Carribean Islands, Fiji, Mauritius and Africa have also adopted this bean after Indian immigrants introduced them to this nutritious dal.
Urad is grown as a rain fed crop with heavy soils or stiff loamy water resistant soil. It grows well in brown alluvium and black cotton soils. It needs very little water to grow. It is a trailing, sub erect or erect, densely hairy annual herb. The black gram can be sown dry within furrows between the rows of the other crop, which is then followed by water irrigation. Depending on the climate, variety grown, and agricultural conditions of the region, sowing also entails doing it every early spring or February or June to July or the rainy season or October to November or autumn.
Urad Dal has many medicinal and curative properties because of which it is used in Ayurvedic medicine. It is rich in protein, dietary fiber and carbohydrates. Around 25% of its weight includes various proteins. It is rich in vitamins like A, B1, B3 and C, and also contains moderate amounts of B complex vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. It is also a good source of several minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. It boosts your energy, helps in reducing cholesterol, is a good food for diabetics and is also effective in lowering high blood pressure. It also helps in correcting digestive disorders, is anti-inflammatory and highly recommended to pregnant women. It also has various skin nourishing and rejuvenating properties.
At Daana, we buy Urad Dal from our farmers, and store it in cold-storage units which ensures that all pests are eliminated. Every bag is tagged with information about the farmer. Once it arrives from cold storage into our packing unit, it is hand cleaned by women who are skilled at removing stones, dust and husk. Further to that, it is packed, labeled and shipped to our consumers.
No chemicals or preservatives of any kind are used. All information about the farmer is provided in the packets, so you know exactly who grew your food, when it was harvested, and more.
Indian cuisine has many dishes made out of Urad Dal. From Idlis, Vadas, and Dosas in the South to the most famous Dal Makhani in the North. They are usually soaked overnight for most dal preparations. The Split Urad is used in preparing various masalas for chutneys and powders.
Here is a mouthwatering Dahi Vada recipe. Also please follow our Recipes section for an interesting range of dishes.