Dal n. : Split pulse, esp. of Cajanus Indicus.

Example:
Can I use something else that is symilar to urad Dal in my cooking ?

Taxonomy
pulses, tadka, pappu, chickpeas, vegetables, recipes, dals, ingredients, parippu, rice, free encyclopedia, Masoor, taste, toor dhal, spices, daal, Tamil, mainstay.

Defination from the web:
Dal or Parippu (also spelled dahl, dhal, or daal) (Nepali दाल daal Hindi दाल dāl, Bangla ডাল dāl, Kannada ಬೇಳೆ bELe, Malayalam പരിപ്പ് parippu, ... Dal is a mainstay in Indian vegetarian cooking, since it provides the requisite proteins for a balanced diet. ...