BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Indian Food dal recipes?

Hello!

i'm looking to try some every-day sort of dal recipes to find a regular for me. Anyone care to share their recipes?

I an tell you how i cok dal at home.
Chop the spinach very fine.add mustard seeds into little oil and saute the choped spinach.
keep it aside.
U can use the tuvar daal for this.Add water to the dal and apinch of turmeric powder and salt and let it go on till soft enough to mash.the ratio of water depends on the dal actually.some take time.u can also use a pressure cooker.
add asafoetida(to avoid any flatulence problems) to the mashed dal and mix it with the sauted spinach.some people add ginger and garlic nd some use cumin seeds(all very little).U can try what u prefer.
once u have mixed the two u can add some water and a tomato for some taste and let it boil for some time.it shouldnt boil much coz you dont want the leaves loosing their chlorophyll etc etc.
salt to tase dont forget :-)
in this way the spinach and dal goes in.
hope this helps.
silentspace

YES! And this was exactly the kind of recipe i was looking for! Thank you! When i looked on the internet i found many versions, but none similar to what i remember. A lot of them had dairy, which was not what i was looking for.

Here in the U.S. i would have to special order tuvar daal, but i can presoak brown lentils overnight and then they soften quickly when cooking. Other kinds of lentils are available, too.

I have an Indian neighbor who substitutes collard greens for the spinach -- collards have a much higher vitamin and nutrient content than other greens and taste similar to spinach, but i'm not sure you see collards outside of the U.S., and they are more common to southern U.S. cuisine.

Asafoetida i must get at an Indian specialty store or mail order it, but i like the flavor of it and i've been meaning to get some anyway. I didn't know it helps prevent flatulence.

The other ingredients i have, and i'm very glad to know which spices i can use!

Am glad i cud help.U can also add small onions(chopped) while sauting the spinach.Oh yea i have heard of Kale and collard but i havent seen them yet.
Take care.

Kale is a leafy green that grows well in cold climates like Scotland and Russia, but it is usually tough to chew unless cooked. I like the flavor, though.

here are a few easy recipes which are VERY GOOD:
1) MANGO CHITRANNA~

Ingredients
2 cups raw rice, washed and cooked such that the
grains remain seperate
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tablespoon peanuts, skinned
2 dry red chillies
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp channa dal
A small piece of ginger, crushed
3-4 green chillies, slit up to the top
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp grated coconut
Salt to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 raw mango, grated finely*

Method
Heat the oil and add the dals,mustard seeds,
cumin, curry leaves, green chillies, red chillies,
peanuts and ginger.
When the dals turn brown, add the turmeric
and the ginger.
Fry for another minute till the mustard
crackles.
Now add the grated coconut and the lime juice
and reduce heat.
Heat through and remove.
Mix in the grated raw mango.
Mix this with cooked rice as required and
add salt to taste.
The lime mixture is usually mixed with the
cooked rice just before serving.
*For this recipe, the type of mango indicated is GREEN or UNRIPENED mango.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Dal Makhani

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups toor dal, washed and drained
2 tomatoes, medium sized, cut into large pieces
A pinch of turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander leaves, chopped

For seasoning:
1 small onion, chopped
A pinch of hing
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dhania powder
4-5 green chillies, chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 stick butter
Salt to taste

Method
Boil the dal and tomatoes with a pinch of turmeric powder
and 1 cup water till the dal is soft.
Add salt to taste.
Set aside.
In a saucepan, prepare the seasoning by heating the butter.
Add the cumin and mustard.
When the cumin is slightly fried, add all the other seasoning
ingredients except the red chilli, turmeric and dhania.
Fry till the onion starts turning color.
Now add the powders and fry for a minute.
Remove from heat and add the boiled dal/tomato to this.
Add the chopped coriander leaves.
Mix well.
Adjust the salt if necessary.
Add 1 cup of water.
Bring it to a boil and remove.
Serve hot with rotis or plain rice.


Preparation : 10 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes, except for the time it takes to pressure-cook the lentils!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
this next (and last, for now) one is most excellent for folks who love spinach and asafoetida (like ME); it's called::

DAL PALAK

Ingredients
2 cups of frozen, thawed chopped spinach
1/2 cup of toor dal
1/2 cup frozen green peas,thawed
1 small onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tsp each dhania-jeera (coriander-cumin), freshly roasted
and powdered
1/2 tsp amchoor (mango powder)
1/2 tsp black peppercorns, freshly powdered
4 green chillies, slit
Salt to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil or ghee (clarified butter)

Method
Wash the dal and pressure cook with 1 cup of water
till soft and mushy.
Heat the oil and add the cumin/mustard.
When they start crackling, add the slit green chillies
and ginger/garlic paste.
Add the onions after a minute and fry till the onions
turn color.
Add the tomatoes and fry till they become soft.
Now add all the dry powders and mix well.
Fry for about a minute.
Add the spinach, peas and the cooked dal.
Mix in salt to taste.
Add 1 cup of water and let it come to a boil on a
low flame.
Remove and serve immediately.

Note: To save time, I pressure cook large amounts
of dal at a time and refrigerate it. Also make the
powders ahead of time and store them in airtight
containers. You can also use ready made ginger and
garlic paste to quicken the time to make this dish.


Preparation : 5 minutes, except for the timings it'll take you to make the various powders and pastes (unless you purchase pre-made ones).
Cooking: 15 minutes

ENJOY!

Thank you.

The mango one sounds very nice! I'll have to try it some time. But I'm really looking for a nice every-day, nothing-fancy kind of recipe... where i'm likely to have the ingredients on hand.

The second recipe looks the most simple, but i've never heard of dhania powder. Can someone tell me what it is or if there is another spice that would make a good substitute?

I have a lot of tomatoes right now, so that would be a good one to try this week.

Hi,

Toor (Tuvar) and Masoor (brown lentils) are the easiest quick cooking daals. The easiest daal recipe is a Maharashtrian dish known as "varan".

Cook your toor daal (either by using a pressure cooker or on the stove top), when done add a little turmeric & salt. Eat with freshly made Basmati rice, add a little ghee or butter and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. This is fast, healthy & delicious!

With this basic recipe: you can add a tarka (hot oil base with black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilies, asafetida and curry leaves). You can add a variety of veggies also such as spinach, pieces of carrot, cilantro leaves, daikon pieces...

Masoor daal are small brown lentils. This taste great sauteed with lots of onion and garlic. In a large pot, saute onions and garlic. Add turmeric, ground cumin, salt, garam masala and the cooked masoor. Cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon and serve with rice or chapathis. Adding fresh spinach tastes great too!

Anyway, these are my childhood recipes. I make them for my family now. Enjoy!

Thank you! I want to try that tarka you are describing.

What are the small dark green lentils called, and can anyone recommend how to prepare them? I had some i purchased at a world market but they were very hard and i could not get them to soften completely.

Hi,

If they arent moong daal (green lentils), they are probably just another variety of lentils.

It may be easier to soak them over night before cooking to help soften them. The fastest way to cook "hard" lentils is by pressure cooker. If not, you will have to cook them low & slow on the stovetop. It may take up to 1 hr or longer depending on the quantity.

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