DAL Doing the

Sheryl Dixit

Not long ago, an Aussie friend asked me for a good ‘dal’ recipe. Being a fan of Indian food and dal in particular, she hadn’t quite grasped the concept of making a good, wholesome, flavoured dal. She didn’t even know that different varieties existed, as she simply picked any packet labelled ‘lentils’ from the supermarket. Now in most Indian households, dal is pretty much a staple on the weekly menu, so there may not be much we can learn about cooking a good dal. However, if you have non-Indian friends who need a few hints, these recipes will help tickle their tastebuds. Also, the recipes below may seem a tad ‘Aussified’ to you, so enhance the taste by upping the quantity of spices to suit your palate. And instead of the presoaking and boiling in a thick bottomed saucepan, simply pop the dal into a pressure cooker to save time.

Mung dal

This is a simple recipe and much of the flavoUr comes from the dal itself.

2 cups whole green mung dal

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped

½ tsp grated ginger

1-2 green chillies (optional)

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

4-5 whole peppercorns

2 tsp vegetable oil

Salt to taste

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 pinch cumin seeds

1-2 dried red chillies

2 tsp oil

1 tbsp chopped coriander

Soak the mung dal overnight in water, ensuring that the level is at least a couple of inches over the dal. The mung beans will absorb the water and puff up to at least twice their original size.

Drain the mung beans, add fresh water and salt, add green chillies and boil in a closed saucepan on medium heat, stirring from time to time to check if the beans are fully cooked. Once done, pick out the green chillies and keep aside.

In a separate saucepan or heavy bottomed wok, add oil. When hot, turn down the flame and add the mustard seeds, cumin and red chillies. When the mix starts to splutter, add the garlic, ginger, peppercorns and onion, and fry for a minute or two, until the onions turn soft. Next, add the turmeric powder and stir for a minute. Next, add the boiled dal mix and thoroughly stir through the tempering or tadka. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then turn off and garnish with fresh chopped coriander. Add lemon and stir through. Serve hot with rice or naan.

Dal Makhani

My personal favourite, probably because it’s a nice, rich one with cream and a bit of butter.

2 cups black dal (the orange lentil with the flat brown husk still on)

½ cup red kidney beans

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 medium clove garlic, chopped

½ tsp grated ginger

3 bay leaves

7-8 whole peppercorns

7-8 cloves

2 medium cinnamon sticks

2 whole cardamom

1 red chilly, broken into two pieces

1 level tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp each, cumin, coriander, curry powders

Salt to taste

½ cup regular or sour cream (low fat could be used)

2 tbsp vegetable oil OR 1 heaped tbsp clarified butter or even margarine

Soak the dal and kidney beans together for a few hours, until the beans absorb water and puff up. Drain the water and place in a thick bottomed saucepan, adding water to cover the dals by about an inch. Place on a low flame. Next, add the chopped onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks, red chilli, turmeric and other powders, and salt. Slow cook for at least two hours, 45 minutes in a pressure cooker on low flame. Stir occasionally to check if the dal is cooked through. Once the dal is done, add the oil (preferably clarified butter/ margarine) to a small frying pan and heat gently. Once hot, add a pinch of turmeric powder to the oil and leave for about 20 seconds. Next, add this mix to the dal to temper it. Take the dal off the fire, and gently pour in the cream, taking care to stir carefully so that the cream doesn’t break. Serve immediately. This dal cooks beautifully in a slow cooker, as the spices completely mingle with the dal and its aroma is absolutely heavenly. Follow the same process once the dal is cooked through. A dal makhani masala powder is also available from Indian shops, which can be used as a substitute to the other powders. For a richer taste, drop a small knob of butter into the hot dal just before serving.

Daily dal

This is a generic recipe for cooking any kind of lentil, the toor, red, yellow mung or thicker grained split peas or chana dal varieties. You can even add two or more to make a more interesting mix.

2 cups of any dal, soaked for at least a couple of hours.

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 large garlic pod, chopped

1 medium green chilli (optional)

½ tsp turmeric powder

Boil the dal in a large saucepan together with the turmeric powder, tomato, onion, chilli and garlic, adding salt to taste. To make a thicker dal, add less water, to make a thinner, soup-like version, add more water. The approximate measure should be 1cup dal = 2 cups water. It is usually easier to cook dal in a pressure cooker, it’s faster and can be cooked without presoaking the dal.

For the tempering:

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp whole cumin

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 red chilli whole

2 tbsp vegetable oil

OR

1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

Heat the oil/ghee in a small frying pan or tadka kadhai, add the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Next, add the cumin, red chilly and turmeric powder. Fry for approximately 30 seconds, then pour it into the cooked dal mixture. Take care as the mix will sizzle a bit. Stir through thoroughly.

Garnish:

Freshly chopped green coriander

A tablespoon of fresh, grated coconut

If you’d like a treat, drop in a knob of butter, organic, if it will make you feel less guilty

Tips

• For a healthier version of dal, add finely chopped or even a cup of fresh spinach to the dal when boiling. Alternatively, fry the spinach after the tempering, and then add the lot to the dal

• Pick out the green chillies after boiling them in the dal. they add a subtle flavour, but could give someone a nasty surprise if bitten into.

• When using lentils, the thicker variety like split peas should be soaked for longer, as they take more time to cook

• Add curry leaves if you have them, to the tempering, but they’re not absolutely critical Substitute turmeric powder for a generic mild curry powder if you like •the trick is in the tempering. if you prefer a plain dal, a simple tempering will do; if you prefer something a bit more elaborate, when tempering, fry up ingredients like the onion, tomato, garlic, etc., and add them to the plain dal • if you’re the adventurous type, add a blend of subtle spices to the dal, eg. turmeric, cumin and coriander powder in equal 1/3 tsp quantities. Don’t add heavy spices, or the flavour could get mixed, and it won’t be fit for the dog or the ex….well, maybe the ex! enjoy!