Step 1

To make Shahi Dal, first clean, wash and soak the urad dal in enough water for 4 - 5 hours or overnight.

Step 2

Next morning you will notice the black husk of dal starts leaving the white skin underneath. Rub the dal in small batches in between your palms to remove the black peel. Rinse again and you will end up with majorly white skinned dal with few black peel here and there.

Step 3

Combine the dal, cardamom pods, bay leaf, chopped tomato, ginger - garlic paste, green chilli, milk, salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Mix well to combine.

Step 4

Pressure cook for 3 whistles over low heat or till urad dal gets cooked. Make sure urad dal does not get over cooked and turn mushy. Allow the steam of pressure cooker to escape naturally before opening the lid.

Step 5

Gently whisk the dal with the spoon to thicken it.

Step 6

Heat ghee in a deep pan and add the sliced almonds. Fry them till light golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Step 7

Add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the onions, and sauté on a medium flame till onion turns light brown in color.

Step 8

Once the oil starts separating from the masala, add the whisked dal, garam masala and stir to combine.

Step 9

Taste the dal and adjust the salt accordingly. Let the dal simmer over low heat for few minutes. Turn off the heat.

Step 10

Garnish Shahi Urad Dal with fried almond slices and fresh coriander leaves.

Step 11

Serve Shahi Urad Dal warm with jeera rice or chapati.