Daal, Digestion, and... Wait - What's Daal?

We’re tackling my favorite food group today, the Notorious B.L.P - beans, lentils and peas.  

You may already have raised an eyebrow at that opening sentence, for a few reasons.  First, because it’s absurd to link a rapper and great American pop culture icon with something as mundane as beans.  Second, because when I proudly proclaim that legumes are my favorite food group, people tend to quickly question my stability.  But I can’t help it…this is just how I feel about them.  It’s love.

For the remainder of this blog, I’ll refer to legumes as 'daal' or 'dal' because 'daal' has inherent ties to the healthful use of beans, lentils, and peas in the ancient Ayurvedic dietary tradition… And also, because the word “legumes” just sounds like a snobby French chef with a scowl on his face trying to turn a simple food into a Michelin star dish.  

Dal has a special place in every corner of the world (and in my heart).  There is no food more comforting and nourishing than a bowl of my mama’s Kentucky black eyed peas or my go-to channa masala (chickpea curry) recipe.  My body demands these dishes from me, knowing there’s much more to them than flavor alone.  

A bite of dal includes protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and complex carbohydrates.  That’s a lot for one little lentil to bring to the table.  Not to mention, there are methods of preparation and cooking that can enhance the nutritious benefit even beyond its normal potency.

Whether you are cutting back on meat or cutting back on costs, the protein that dal is packing should not be undervalued.  Most types of dal are eight to ten percent protein, meaning that, in one hundred grams of dal, you’ll be eating almost ten grams of protein.  If you’re trying to maximize protein intake or just get the best bang for your buck, there is a clear winner: urad dal, or black lentils, are one fourth protein.  That’s twenty-five grams of protein per one hundred grams of lentils.  This is remarkably competitive with meat, which generally contains twenty-two to thirty-two grams of protein per hundred grams, depending on the type.

Maybe you love eating meat and can’t see any use for the addition of dal in your life.  The bad news is, you’re probably not getting as much protein as your body actually needs even if you love meat.  The good news is, that means there is probably a place for dal in your diet, no matter who you are.  The recommended intake of daily protein is about one and a half grams per kilogram of body weight.  This means, even if you eat two eggs for breakfast and a half pound of sirloin steak for dinner every day, you’re still at a significant deficit for protein (unless you weigh less than eighty pounds).  So, let’s make it rain…beans.

The micronutrient content of dal is also unique, offering a diverse package of vitamins and minerals.  One serving of of dal can offer fifteen to twenty percent of your daily iron.  This is particularly beneficial for women, as we tend to have higher levels of iron deficiency than men (thank you, Mother Nature).  Adding a bit of lemon or even taking a vitamin C supplement with your dish will help you to absorb the iron efficiently.  This is why one of my friends always serves guests black dal with a squeeze of lime.  His recipe is delicious - I’ll include it at the end of the blog.

Dal contains a significant amount of magnesium and potassium.  Lentils are especially rich with both, offering up to ten percent of the daily value of magnesium for women and twenty-two percent for potassium.  Why is this so important?  These are your muscles’ and heart’s favorite vitamins.  Together, these vitamins are the little drummer boy that keeps your heart steadily pumping.  They also keep your electrolytes in check, preventing cramps and encouraging a speedy recovery for sore muscles.

Different types of dal contain various antioxidants, which are essential to combatting toxins, inflammation, and stress in the body.  The darker the dal, the higher the antioxidants (pro tip: this is true of a lot of foods, with antioxidants being especially high in purple fruits and vegetables, coffee, dark leafy greens, and dark chocolate).  Dal is a great source of polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanin, which reduce stress on cells, circulation, and the brain.  This is a huge win for protecting your body’s energy, which is used in excess when your cells are damaged.

As a bonus, one cup of dal contains fifty to ninety percent of the daily value of folate. ‘Folate’ isn’t the wellness buzzword that most of us look for, but it is an essential vitamin for everyone, and especially for pregnant women.  It tag-teams with potassium and magnesium to boost heart health by tackling harmful amino acids and breaking them down.  Folate is also essential for the production of red blood cells, DNA, and RNA.  Collectively, this hard work adds up to increased oxygen to the brain, quicker recovery from exercise and injury, and better energy for both the brain and metabolism.  

Wow, let me catch my breath… the list of benefits that dal can offer seems to go on and on forever.

This is all sounding too good to be true.  Isn’t there a catch?

Not really.  

Most types of beans, peas, and lentils are extraordinarily cost efficient.  Especially if you buy dry instead of canned dal, you can feed about five people for typically less than two dollars.  At my local grocery store, I buy bulk bags of organic lentils at fifteen dollars for seven pounds.  By myself, that will take me more than a month to eat.

If you’re buying dry dal, you’ll need to soak it for several hours to a day, depending on the size, before cooking it.  I would also recommend rinsing it at least three times to remove any harmful residue remaining on it from the harvesting or packaging process.  From there, you can cook it or sprout it.  Sprout?  Yes, sprout.  

Sprouting dal requires the usual soaking process, using enough water to cover and be absorbed for the dal to expand (about three cups of water for one cup of dal).  Pour the water out, rinse again, and drain.  Then leave the dal in a breathable, warm, and dark place, rinsing every eight hours or so to ensure that it stays clean and moist.  In one to three days, the dal will start sprouting.  This can be eaten raw or cooked gently with low heat.  Since it triples in size during this time, sprouted dal can feed double the number of of people as regular cooked dal.

What is the benefit of sprouted dal?  The process enhances the availability of vitamins and even creates vitamin C, which is not in dal regularly.  Sprouting makes dal more digestible by creating enzymes and breaking down starch and protein, reducing bloating and gas.  This results in easier absorption of vitamins and minerals and an overall easier energy boost, as your body doesn’t need to work as hard to break down the dal.

If you decide to try sprouting, be sure to stay vigilant about rinsing the dal every eight to twelve hours to keep bacteria at bay.  Don’t use any split dal (such as split peas), as the bean has to be fully in tact in order for the germination process to succeed.  Once it’s complete, you’ll know by the little white shoots poking out from the belly of the beans.

When sprouted, dal becomes a super easy and nutritious snack.  It will have a mild earthy taste and a fun crunchy texture.  Store it in the fridge (or eat it all at once.  I won’t tell).

If you’re cooking dal, be sure to take advantage of all the healthful spices that pair so well with it.  The options are endless, but some of the top choices include garlic and turmeric, for fighting inflammation; ginger, for settling the stomach; and cumin, for an immunity boost.  Of course, whatever cuisine you like, dal probably already has found its place within, so do some research and find the dish that suits you best.

I saved the best for last, or at least the most well-known.  You’ve probably already heard - dal makes you poop.  But do you know why?  

The easy answer is that one cup of cooked dal contains about half of the daily recommended value of fiber, which basically encourages smooth movement.  There is a more lasting digestive benefit though: the prebiotic effect.  Dal feeds the good bacteria in your gut, helping your gut biome to grow strong, which aids in future digestion, immunity, nutrient absorption, and basically everything else (say it with me: health starts in the gut!).

The complex carbohydrates in dal make for a more stable digestion process, free of the blood sugar spikes usually caused by carbs.  That’s a huge benefit to those of us that are sensitive to energy crashes after meals.  Even the protein in dal is simpler to digest than that from meat.  This makes dal a king amongst men for its digestibility, accessibility, and manifold nutritional benefits.  

Dal’s satiety is exceptional, meaning that the lasting satisfaction of eating dal prevents you from craving more food shortly after.  It’s an extraordinarily affordable food that is allergen free.  Dal is an any time, any place, any flavor food.  One last bonus fact for those of us who love nature - the growing process for dal actually improves the quality of soil.  So, by eating dal, you’re actually saving the planet.  You’re welcome.

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As promised, my friend’s dal makhani (black lentil) recipe:

Ingredients

3/4 cup urad dal, whole (black lentils)

1/4 cup rajma (red kidney beans)

1 1/2 tsp salt (find black salt, if you really want an authentic Indian flavor)

1 tbsp ghee

3 tbsp butter, divided

1 medium white onion, grated or finely diced

2 tsp ginger garlic paste, or finely grated fresh ginger and garlic

1/2 cup tomato puree

1/2 tsp kashmiri red chili powder

1/4 tsp garam masala (sub with cumin if necessary)

1/4 cup organic cream

Instructions

1.  If using dry dal, wash and rinse three times, mixing with your hands each time to shed residue.  Soak in three cups of water for eight or more hours.

2. Drain water, and add to pressure cooker (or at least a pot with a securely fitting lid) with 1 tsp of salt and 3.5 cups water.

3. Pressure cook on medium for about thirty minutes, or boil in regular pot for about an hour.  For pressure cooker, let pressure release naturally.

4. Mash some of the dal, then leave of low heat to simmer while you make the masala (sauce).

5. In a large pot or pan, heat 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of ghee over medium heat.

6. Add onion once butter melts, cook until light brown, stirring continually. 

7. Add ginger and garlic, cook one to two minutes.

8. Add tomato puree.  Stir.  Cook for two minutes or until oil separation starts.

9. Add dal and stir.

10. Add garam masala (or cumin), Kashmiri chili, and remaining salt.  Stir.

11. Add 1/2 cup of water, stir, simmer on low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

12. After 45 minutes, add cream and remaining butter.  Simmer for ten minutes on low heat.

13. Serve with or without rice.  Add a squeeze of lemon or lime, a garnish of cilantro or fenugreek, and some extra ghee or butter.

Or, my simpler chickpea curry recipe for those of us in a hurry:

Ingredients

1 red onion

Essential spices: Ginger, cumin (whole), salt, black pepper, Kashmiri red chili (or cayenne pepper, but it’s not nearly as tasty)

Optional spices: Garam masala, mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander, fenugreek (kasuri methi)

1 can tomato puree

1 can coconut milk or cream

2 cans chickpeas

3 tbsp butter

Optional: Rice (jasmine or basmati are my favorites)

Instructions

1.  Dice the onion, set aside

2. Heat medium pot over medium low heat.  Add and melt 2 tbsp butter. 

3. Add 2 tsp cumin, toast for ten seconds.  Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, if using, toast for ten seconds.  Then add 1 tsp Kashmiri chili (1/2 tsp if you have a low spice tolerance), 1-2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander, and 1 tsp ginger.  Stir until all are combined

4. Add 1 tbsp butter.  Once melted, add diced onion.  Stir regularly until golden brown

5. Add tomato.  Stir until combined.  Simmer for five to ten minutes (the longer the better).

6. In a separate pot, start boiling water for rice in the meantime.  Rinse rice several times to remove residue.  Use a 2:1 ratio of water to desired amount of rice.  Add rice once water is boiling, turn heat to medium low, cover, and leave for as long as the rice package suggests, or at least until water is absorbed.

7. Add coconut milk/cream.

8. Add garam masala (if using), 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp of black pepper.  Stir.  Simmer five to ten minutes.

9. Open, drain, rinse, and add chickpeas.  Stir.  Cover and cook for at least ten minutes.

10. Once done cooking, add fenugreek as a garnish.  Add a little cream or goat milk if you feel the spice is too much.  Garnish each bowl with a little ghee or butter, if you’d like.