L20 · Lunch · North-East India
Matimah (Whole Black Urad) with Rice
Assam's simple, earthy black urad dal, cooked with ginger and finished with a mustard-oil tempering — a staple of the everyday Assamese meal of rice, dal and greens.
- Region
- Assam
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Time, as written
- Soak 6 h · Prep 10 min · Cook 40 min
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Status
- Traditional
- Good for
- Everyday lunch
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matimah only (about 250 ml) | 220 | 14 g | 29 g | 5 g | 0 g | 13 g | 1 g | 6.5 g |
| Full plate: dal, 60 g raw rice, 100 g greens | 490 | 22 g | 78 g | 8 g | 1 g | 19 g | 1 g | 4.5 g |
Headline figures are for the full plate as served, with its stated roti, rice or bhakri; the dish alone is shown in the table.
Tier: Good source (plate); the dish alone is High protein. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Tempering
Plate
Method
Soak urad 6 hours. Drain.
Pressure-cook with turmeric, ginger, chillies and 700 ml water for 1 whistle on high, then 20 minutes on low, until the beans are soft and partly broken.
Mash a few beans to thicken. Add salt, tomato (if using) and 150 ml water; simmer 10 minutes.
Heat mustard oil until it just smokes; lower the heat. Add bay leaf, cumin, red chillies and garlic until golden. Pour over the dal.
Serve with rice and greens.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Whole urad supplies 14 g per serving; rice 4 g; greens 2 g.
- Boost
- Serve with 100 g curd (+3.5 g protein, +60 kcal), as in many Assamese homes.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Matimah with khar — add 1 tbsp khar (an alkaline filtrate from banana peel ash), traditional in Assam, which gives a distinctive flavour.
- Substitution
- Whole masoor dal cooks faster (25 minutes) with a similar texture.
- Storage
- 3 days refrigerated; freezes 2 months.
- Food safety
- Reheat until boiling.
- Meal prep
- Excellent.
Allergens
None of the major allergens (mustard oil; check hing)
Labels: Good source · High fibre · Dairy-free · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free* · No added sugar · Meal-prep friendly
Gluten-free* means gluten-free only when certified gluten-free hing is used; most hing contains wheat flour.