A simple and a nutritious pulav with black urad dal, rice and coconut milk made in Instant Pot and that’s what I am going to share today. Check out this healthy black urad-dal pulav without any onion and garlic with detailed step-wise pictures.
I wish I could have posted my Ulava Charu biryani recipe now. It would have been a perfect biryani recipe for U, but I posted it last year and no regrets at all :-) Today I am going to share a delicious pulav with black gram dal or the ulutham paruppu as we say in Tamil.
In TamilNadu, ulutham sadham (Black urad dal rice) or ulutham soru is quite popular. Not only the rice but also black urad dal porridge, kali are quite famous too. According to wiki, Black gram is very nutritious as it contains high levels of protein (25g/100g), potassium (983 mg/100g), calcium (138 mg/100g), iron (7.57 mg/100g), niacin (1.447 mg/100g), Thiamine (0.273 mg/100g), and riboflavin (0.254 mg/100g).
The nutrients in the black urad dal help to strengthen the pelvic bones and uterus; hence the black urad dal dishes are given to girls when they reach the age of puberty.
The Black Gram Pulav:
I know I am calling it with a fancy name pulav, but it is more like ulutham soru sans garlic. The traditional recipe calls for garlic, but I made it without onion and garlic. I made it on one Thursday, so went without onion and garlic. You can include one onion and up to 5 garlic cloves for this recipe.
Also, I used whole black gram dal, but you can use split black gram as well. If you are using split black gram, you don’t need to soak for a long time. Now let’s talk about the soaking time and cooking time.
Soaking the Black Gram & Cooking Time:
Black gram is quite sticky, and the traditional ulutham soru recipe is quite a mush and sticky as well. I had tasted this rice in our hostel during my undergrad. They used to serve this on Saturdays, and I think it was on the menu for only two semesters later they changed the food menu.
I wanted to make this rice non-mushy, and also we like our dals/lentils al-dente. In that case, the best option would be to soak the dal for a long time (at least 6 to 8 hours) and pressure cook it for just one whistle or if you are using Instant Pot, go for rice mode or cook on high pressure for 3 to 4 minutes and release the pressure after 3 minutes. As the rice mode worked out well for my qubooli biryani, I went with the same setting.
For this recipe, I soaked the whole black gram for about 8 hours and made the pulav in rice mode. Also, I used basmati rice, and I soaked it only for 10 minutes. But if you prefer mushy rice and dal or if you are using regular white/brown rice, increase the time accordingly.
You need two cups of liquid for this below measure. You can skip coconut milk and add two cups of water, but I need to insist that coconut milk enhances the flavor.
Now without any further delay, here is how I made the urad dal pulav,
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- Two cardamom
- Two cloves
- One black-stone flower
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- Two green chilies, slit into two
- ¼ cup mint, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1.5 tsp salt
- ½ cup black urad dal, washed and soaked for 6 hours at least.
- ¾ cup rice, washed and soaked for 10 minutes and drained
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup thin coconut milk
Prep-Work:
- Wash the black gram and soak it for atleast 6 to 8 hours and drain the water.
- Wash and soak the basmati rice for 10 to 20 minutes but not more than that.
- If preparing fresh coconut milk, make it and set aside 1 cup of thin/second/diluted coconut milk. I used a store-bought one. Make sure you shake the can well before using and set aside 1 cup of coconut milk. If the store-bought coconut milk is thick, dilute it with water as required.
Steps:
- Set the Instant pot in the saute mode and when the display shows hot, add the oil.
- After 30 seconds, add the fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, black-stone flower, and the slit green chilies — Fry for 20 seconds.
- Then add the drained black gram dal and the chopped mint and cilantro. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Then add the rice, coconut milk, salt, and the water. Mix gently.
- Press the cancel button and then close the Instant Pot lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Press the “Rice” preset button and when the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the pulav to cool for 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a fork or spatula.
- I served this with the tomato raita, but you can serve this with any korma or onion raita.
Recipe Notes-
- Make sure to soak the dal for atleast 6 hours. Check the post for soaking time and cooking time details.
- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
- You can include onion and garlic as well. Saute the onion and garlic after frying the whole spices and before adding the dal until the onion is soft and tender.
- You can use split black gram lentils also but no need to soak for more than two hours.
📖 Recipe
Ulutham Paruppu Sadham | Black Urad Dal Pulav
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 cardamom
- 2 cloves
- 1 black-stone flower
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 green chilies slit into two
- ¼ cup mint roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1.5 tsp salt
- ½ cup black urad dal washed and soaked for 6 hours at least.
- ¾ cup rice washed and soaked for 10 minutes and drained
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fat-free coconut milk
Instructions
Prep-Work:
- Wash the black gram and soak it for atleast 6 to 8 hours and drain the water.
- Wash and soak the basmati rice for 10 to 20 minutes but not more than that.
- If preparing fresh coconut milk, make it and set aside 1 cup of thin/second/diluted coconut milk. I used a store-bought one. Make sure you shake the can well before using and set aside 1 cup of coconut milk. If the store-bought coconut milk is thick, dilute it with water as required.
Steps:
- Set the Instant pot in the saute mode and when the display shows hot, add the oil.
- After 30 seconds, add the fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, black-stone flower, and the slit green chilies — Fry for 20 seconds.
- Then add the drained black gram dal and the chopped mint and cilantro. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Then add the rice, coconut milk, salt, and the water. Mix gently.
- Press the cancel button and then close the Instant Pot lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Press the “Rice” preset button and when the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the pulav to cool for 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a fork or spatula.
- I served this with the tomato raita, but you can serve this with any korma or onion raita.
Notes
- Make sure to soak the dal for atleast 6 hours. Check the post for soaking time and cooking time details.
- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference. You can include onion and garlic as well. Saute the onion and garlic after frying the whole spices and before adding the dal until the onion is soft and tender.
- You can use split black gram lentils also but no need to soak for more than two hours.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Looks like a very healthy recipe. Never knew we can make pulav with urad dal. Sounds good.
Thanks :-)
Protein rich pulav must say. I have never cooked a pulav with urad dal but this looks a very good idea. I love the earthly colours the pulav has got.
Thanks Renu.
We make Urad Dal Khichdi(Split Urad) during Makar Sankranti .. didn’t know about its health benefits for teenage girls..I have a teenger in house will be good for her and some change from our regular Dal Makhani. Thanks for the share and info..
Glad it helped. Thanks.
This is an excellent one. I too wanted to make with the whole Urad and got a packet but went for something else. now that needs to be used up and will surely try this..very nicely done.
Thanks Valli.
SImple yet delicious dish with black udad dal. Coconut milk must have gives very nice flavor to the dish. Good one.
Thanks Sushma.
Another hit at our home ! Thanks Srividhya for sharing the excellent recipe!
oh wow. Thanks for the feedback. Glad you all liked it.
Wow! This is such a healthy recipe, Srividhya. Using whole urad is a very great idea. The grains are cooked to perfection and love the spices that went into it.
Thanks much. :-)
This is a new recipe for me , I have never made or heard about this pulao . I have read the post in detail and will try this recipe . Whenever I try I might come back and ask questions if needed . Yes coconut milk will impart very good flavour .
Thanks for this wonderful recipe , it’s a treasure .
Sure. Any time Vaishali.
Ok this is a keeper with the rice cooker with separate grains… awesome looks while I tried the ulundhu choru,south Indian version. Am posting in the coming days…
Thanks Sharmila. I saw yours too. :-) Good one.
Thanks a lot Srividhya for detailed reply.
I will try Rice Preset method for Basmati rice.
For hand pounded rice usually I pressure cook for 10 minutes and release pressure naturally.
Oh ok. Thanks. I will try that.
Hi
Thanks for simple and nutritious recipe.
Can we use the Rice preset for all types of rice?
Thanks Abinaya. Glad you liked it. Rice cooking time depends on the quality, especially the age of the rice. If it’s new, it gets sticky and mushy so you need to adjust water accordingly and cook it for less time. But if its aged rice, you need to add a little bit more water and adjust the cooking time. For sona masoori and basmati, rice preset works really well. I used 1:2 water ratio for sona masoori and 1:1. 25 or 1:1 1/3 cup of water for basmati. For brown rice, I cook for 25 minutes and release the pressure naturally. Yet to try the hand pound rice variety. I hope this answer helps. Thanks :-)
Thanks a lot Srividhya for detailed reply.
I will try preset method for Basmati.
I usually cook hand pounded rice for 10 mins in high pressure mode and relaese prsssure naturally.
I had made a dry version urad dal khichdi for a A- Z rice marathon I did earlier and remember enjoying the simple version very much. Your version being a pulao sounds more flavorful with the addition of spices.
Thanks Suma.
I like this non mushy version of ulundhu saadam. That black urad dal adds a lot of color. And your ulava chaaru biryani is the recipe of the day.
Oh is it? I am yet to check others post. :-)
Mam if we keep in pressure cooker for how many whistles should we keep
Hi Meera, if you soaked the urad dal for 8 plus hours, you can cook for just one whistle, if not cook for two whistles but not more than that. Hope it helps. Thanks