Chana Dal Tadka

March 30, 2009 · By Deepthi Shankar · Filed Under Dal Fare, Lunch/Dinner, News, Side Dishes · Comment 

 Ever since I’ve hurt my finger, I am getting showered with attention. I am enjoying this quite a bit. Getting hurt doesn’t suck so much after all :D

 I haven’t been doing much in the kitchen lately. Shankar made this lip smacking Dal Tadka for me yesterday & he insisted that I post it. So, here I am typing with just one finger.

 I was never such a big fan of Chana Dal. I barely experiment with it. I had Chana Dal Tadka for the first time at an Indian restaurant in Paris.

While we were holidaying in Paris, we were starved beyond words, & were craving for some authentic Indian stuff. For how long can you eat Croissants & Baguettes afterall? When, we found a nice little Indian restaurant & I just couldn’t wait to lay my hands on some lovely Rice & Dal Tadka. The restaurant had limited options for the vegetarians & they only served only chana dal. I had no choice but to opt for it & thought I wasn’t going to like it one bit.

When the waiter served, Dal Tadka, It looked really bland & had no traces of either onions or tomatoes or any other seasoning.
(I gave him a stare as though I am the Czarina of Indian Cuisine, implying that one can’t just whip up something in an alien country & serve it as authentic Indian Stuff. )

But I was sooo terribly wrong. The dal tasted great & had an amazing texture. It was actually more than perfect. Yes, I ate one of the best Dal Tadkas in Paris. And, I knew that I was going to recreate this at home some day.

We got together to guessing what all might have gone into the Dal & I think we got most of it.

Here’s how it was made,

You Will Need:

  • 1 1/2 cups Chana Dal
  • 1 red onion - chopped
  • 2 tomatoes - chopped
  • 2 green chillies
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 2 cloves
  • A small stick of cinnamon
  • A handful of cashewnuts
  • A small piece of ginger
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 dry red chilli - broken
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder
  • cilantro for garnish
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp desi ghee

Method:

  • Soak chana dal in water for about 15 minutes & pressure cook the dal until completely cooked. See to it that the dal does not get mushy & retains its shape
  • Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan & add slit green chillies, cardamoms, cloves & cinnamon. Saute for about 20 seconds.
  • Add chopped onions & saute till they turn transpatent. Add turmeric, red chilli powder & tomatoes & cook until oil separates & tomatoes turn pulpy
  • Switch off the stove & allow it to cool. Once cool, grind this along with ginger & cashewnuts.
  • Heat oil in a pan & add cooked chana dal & the ground paste & bring it to a boil. Add water to get the desired consistency. Add salt as per taste.
  • Temper with cumin seeds & broken red chilli. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

 

This one was really close to the one we had in Paris & enjoyed it quite a bit. The spices were mild & cashews added their bit of sweetness & gave a nice creamy consistency to the dal. I loved the texture & taste of chana dal too.

All the credit goes to Shankar for patiently listening to me on how to got about the whole thing & creating some lovely comfort food.

Hope you guys are going to try this too.

NOTE: While grinding the ingredients, we let a few rustic pieces of onions & tomatoes remain, since we like biting into tiny bits of veggies. But you could grind it into a smooth paste as well.

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Cabbage Dal

November 16, 2008 · By Deepthi Shankar · Filed Under Dal Fare, Lunch/Dinner, Side Dishes · Comment 

I love experimenting with different kinds of Dal/Lentils & vegetables. Since Dal is part of our everyday fare, I keep trying out different combinations to avoid boredom. one such combination that I really liked is Cabbage & Moong Dal.

 

These two compliment each other perfectly. This is really simple to make. If you guys are bored of your regular Dal Tadka, Go ahead and make this for a change.

Preparation Time: 20- 25 mins

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups cabbage - shredded
  • 1 cup - moong dal
  • 1 onion - finely chopped
  • 1 tomato - finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli - slit lengthwise
  • 1 tsp - red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp - ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp - cumin seeds
  • A handful of curry leaves
  • A pinch of turmeric
  • Salt as per taste
  • 2 tsp oil

Method:

  • Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, When hot, add cumin seeds, once the seeds pop & splutter, add green chilli, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, curry leaves & saute
  • Add onions & fry until transparent.
  • Throw in chopped tomatoes & add red chilli powder. Cook till oil separates & the raw smell disappears.
  • Add moong dal & saute for a minute
  • Add about 2 cups of water & cover the pan with a lid & let the dal cook for a while. Keep stirring in between.
  • Once the dal is half cooked, add shredded cabbage & add another 2 cups of water.
  • Add salt & mix well, cover the pan again & let it cook. Keep stirring in between. Add additional water, if necessary,
  • When done, check the taste & mix well. Transfer into a bowl.

Serve HOT with rotis or steamed rice. Enjoi !!!

NOTE: The proportion of Dal:Cabbage is entirely upto you. If you want a creamier taste. You could add more of Dal. Or, you could even keep the proportions equal.

 

 

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Apple Dal

September 30, 2008 · By Deepthi Shankar · Filed Under Dal Fare, Lunch/Dinner, Side Dishes · 57 Comments 
Apple Dal ??? This was exactly how my expression was when I saw it on Sujatha’s blog. I kept wondering how Dal made out of apple would taste. Something about the recipe caught my attention, & I made a mental note of it, to be tried on a later date.

I have a huge stack of bookmarked recipes that are waiting to see the light of the day. At times I come up with a menu plan for the entire week wherein certain lunches/dinners are reserved for trying out new recipes. Somehow, I am never able to stick to the plan either because there are left overs or because my pantry is not stocked with appropriate ingredients or more so because I am plain lazy.

And, I had happily forgotten about Apple Dal too until I saw some apples lying in my refrigerator unattended. These apples we had bought several weeks ago turned out so sour that neither of us touched them again. I & Shankar relish fruits so its not everyday that there are excess fruits in my pantry that go unnoticed. It didn’t take too long for me to decide that we were going to have Apple Dal for dinner
The basic recipe is from Sujatha’s blog & I have tweaked the recipe here & there to suit my taste
Here’s how I made it :

Preparation Time: 30 mins

You Will Need:
  • 1 cup toor dal
  • 1 onion - finely chopped
  • 1 tomato - finely chopped
  • 1 green apple - cut into cubes
  • 2-3 green chillies - finely chopped
  • 1 tsp - mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp - cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp - oil
  • A few curry leaves
  • 2 tsp - sambar powder
  • 1 tsp - corinader powder
  • 1 tsp - red chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp - kitchen king masala (optional)
  • A pinch of Turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp - Garam Masala
  • Salt as per taste
  • 2 tbsp - lemon juice

Method:

  • Pressure cook Toor dal with a pinch of turmeric & salt
  • Soak apple cubes in water mixed with lemon juice for about 15 mins
  • Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan & add mustard & cumin seeds
  • Once the seeds pop & splutter, add chopped green chillies & curry leaves
  • Add chopped onions & saute till they turn transparent
  • Add apple cubes & cook for 5 minutes
  • Now, add chopped tomatoes
  • Add Sambar powder, Red chilli powder, Coriander powder, Kitchen king masala, & saute till the raw smell disappears
  • Add cooked toor dal & mix well
  • The apples will be fully cooked my now & will be soft & mushy
  • Add salt as per taste & add a pinch of Garam masala
  • Give the mixture a gentle mash & mix well
  • Cook on low flame for 10 mins

Transfer to a serving bowl & Serve with HOT rice or rotis .. Enjoi !!

I loved the slightly sweet & tangy taste of apples mixed with spices .. It had all the right ingredients to tickle our taste buds. We had our Dal with HOT steamed rice, accompanied by roasted papads, Yogurt & pickle. It was one complete meal we thoroughly enjoyed . .

NOTE:

  • You could consider cooking the apples along with toor dal in a pressure cooker.
  • If you do not like biting into apples, you could mash them into a paste or just boil them separately & puree them using a blender. This will keep people guessing about the secret ingredient.
  • Addition or Deletion of spices is entirely upto you.

When are you making Apple Dal?

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Lauki Dal ( Bottle Gourd & Channa Dal )

July 17, 2008 · By Deepthi Shankar · Filed Under Dal Fare, Gravy · 21 Comments 


Lauki/Dudhi/Bottle Gourd or Sorekai in Kannada is such a versatile vegetable that one could almost make any kind of dish with this. From curries to sambars to halwas, you name it all. My Mom used to make sambar out of Bottle Gourd that I used to drool over …
Another favourite bottle gourd dish that we make frequently is , Bottle Gourd with Channa Dal. A very simple recipe yet very satisfying
Here it is:

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

  1. Bottle Gourd - Peeled & chopped into large cubes - 2 cups -
  2. Channa Dal - 1 cup
  3. 1 large Onion - chopped
  4. 2 large tomatoes - chopped
  5. 3 Green chilles - low/medium spiced
  6. 1 tsp cumin seeds
  7. Curry leaves
  8. A pinch of turmeric
  9. Salt as per taste
  10. Oil

Method:

  • Pressure cook Bottle Gourd & Channa Dal with a Pinch of salt
  • Take oil in a large pan, Add cumin seeds
  • Once it splutters, add green chillies, Curry leaves & turmeric
  • Add onions & saute till it becomes transparent
  • Add chopped tomatoes & saute till it gets cooked
  • Now, add pressure cooked bottle gourd & channa dal & ADD water IF necessary
  • Add salt as per taste & mix well
  • Cook on low flame for 5 mins

Lauki Dal is now ready !! Serve HOT with Rotis/Rice .. ENJOI !!!!

Off this goes to Mansi’s Place for the event - Healthy Cooking

I consider this dish healthy because it contains

1. Channa Dal which is a rich source of proteins

2. Bottle Gourd which contains numerous benefits including weight loss & curbing acidity,

I contains just 2 tsps of oil which great for weight watchers :)

Thanks Mansi for hosting :)

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Dal Spinach

June 10, 2008 · By Deepthi Shankar · Filed Under Dal Fare · 1 Comment 

Dal in any from is the most commonly used ingredient used everyday in Indian homes. Dal is rich in proteins which is why it becomes so important for us to eat dal daily.
Most people think dal is very plain & bland & is considered boring by many.
To make it a little more tasty, we can mix veggies & spices and convert it into a temptation
My husband relishes Dal Spinach which is why it is made very frequently at home.

Preparation Time: 20 - 25 mins
Ingredients:

  • Toor Dal/Togari Bele - 1 1/2 cups
  • Spinach - 3 cups finely chopped
  • Tomatoes - 2-3 finely chopped
  • Cumin seeds/Jeera
  • A pinch of asefotida/hing
  • A pinch of turmeric
  • Curry leaves
  • Salt as per taste
  • Ghee/oil
  • A dash of lime

Method:

  1. Boil toor dal in a cooker
  2. Heat Ghee/oil in a plan, Add cumin seeds, asefotida & turmeric
  3. Once cumin seeds splutters, add green chillies & curry leaves
  4. Add finely chopped spinach & add water & cover with lid
  5. When spinach is half cooked, add tomatoes
  6. Add cooked dal after spinach & tomatoes are completely cooked
  7. Add salt as per taste
  8. Add a dash of lime

Serve hot with rice/rotis .. Enjoi !!!

Sangeeth of Let Us All Cook is hosting the Eat Healthy - Protein Rich Event

Since Spinach & Toor Dal both are rich source of proteins, Off this goes to Sangeeth’s place for the event.
Thanks Sangeeth for hosting :)

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