Cholar dal

Cholar dal or Bengal grams is not cooked in Bengali household for everyday lunches. Neither does it make among the delicacies served when guests come. However, to accompany the luchi or kachori, one cannot think of anything else other than cholar dal. With a subtle hint of sweetness, this lentil preparation makes a heavenly combination with the perfectly rounded luchis. Cholar dal is a bit hard to boil and therefore soaking it overnight or for long hours is necessary. Then it is a celebrating the perfect harmony of heat from the dried red chili and sweetness from sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. The fragrant aroma of the ghee mingling with the ‘just enough boiled’ cholar dal is a treat for the soul.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

1cup colar dal (split Bengal gram or chana dal)

2 bay leaves

1 dried chili

2-3 cinnamon sticks

1 pinch asafetida powder

2tbsp golden raisins

2tbsp broken cashews

1sp ginger paste

1 pinch turmeric powder

1/2sp cumin powder

1/2sp sugar

1/2sp garam masala

Salt

Ghee

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.      Soak the cholar dal in hot water overnight (7-8 hours). Drain the lentils.

2.      Heat ghee in a wok. Temper the ghee with bay leaves, dried red chili, cinnamon sticks, and a pinch of asafetida powder.

3.      When the nice aroma comes out, add the soaked lentils. Add the ginger paste, cashews, raisins, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and salt. Sauté for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Take care not to over sauté the lentils or it will be difficult to boil.

4.      Add 2 cups hot water. Simmer covered for 25 minutes until the lentils are cooked but not soft and mushy (the lentils should remain whole).

5.      Add the sugar and garam masala powder. Garnish with 1sp of ghee.

Panchmel dal

Panchmel dal is a staple from Rajasthan (Western India) that celebrates the exquisite mingle of five different kinds of lentils in a simple and flavorful dish. Panch meaning five and mel meaning mix thus is the mixture of five staple Indian lentils – masoor (red lintils), moong (green gram), chola (Bengal gram), toor (pigeon peas), urad (black lentils). Tomato and ginger are add to the flavors, whereas the tamarind and dried mango powder play with the taste buds giving a hint of tartness. The perfect balance of salt-sugar –chili seals the deal. For quite a while I was planning to make this and had finally put it in the list of ‘to cook’ for the festive seasons. It was only after that the whole menu for the festive days was planned that I realized I had placed the Panchmel dal for the 5^th day of the festive fortnight! As I washed the lentils and covered them with water for soaking, the aromas of each lentil blended into this tempting earthy smell. I was excited and looking forward to the harmony of flavors it that the lentil medley would create. A simple and colorful play of delicate rustic flavors it was, and a great beginning of the Durga puja.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 6)

1/3cup cholar dal (split Bengal gram or chana dal)
1/3cup toor dal (split pigeon pea)
1/3cup moong dal (split green gram)
1/3cup urad dal (split black lentils)

1/3cup whole masoor (split red lentils)
1tbsp whole moong (whole green gram)

1/2sp turmeric powder

1/2sp chili powder

1sp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala

1tbsp ginger paste

3 green chilies – paste

1 tomato – chopped

2sp amchur (dried mango powder)
4tbsp tamarind pulp
3tbsp ghee
salt, sugar

Dry spices:

3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick
2 bayleaves
1sp cumin seeds
2 dried red chilies broken

1 pinch of asafetida

 

METHOD:

1.      Wash the lentils well and soak them in three cups of water for around two hours. Boil them in the same water with salt and a pinch turmeric powder until done.

2.      Mix the chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala with 3 tbsp of water and mix well to make the masala paste.

3.      Heat the ghee in a pan and add dry spices. When they crackle, add ginger and chili paste and the masala paste. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.

4.      Add chopped tomatoes and cook till the spices leave oil on sides.

5.      Add the cooked lentils, amchur, tamarind pulp and salt, sugar and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and the consistency of the lentils before serving.

Buckwheat masoor think soup

A rainy autumn afternoon, a bit lazy to cook something up for dinner, and the urge to use some lentils and grains from the pantry paved way to this nutritious, fiber and protein rich thick soup. A bit of ginger, tomato sauce added to the flavors. A bowl of warm wholesome soup for a lazy chilly evening.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

1/2cup buckwheat groat

1/2cup whole red lentil

1sp ginger paste

2 bay leaves

500ml vegetable stock

2 green chilies

2tbsp homemade tomato sauce

Salt, sugar, butter

METHOD:

1.      Wash the buckwheat groat and whole red lentil thoroughly.

2.      Heat 1tbsp butter in a heavy bottomed pan. Temper the butter with bay leaves and green chilies.

3.      Add the ginger paste and the tomato sauce. Fry stirring continuously for a couple of minutes until it leaves nice aroma.

4.      Add the washed groats and lentils, and stir for a minute.

5.      Add the vegetable stock. Season well. Bring it to boil. Then simmer covered for 20 minutes.

6.      Using a hand blender, blend the groat and lentil coarsely. Simmer for another 10 minutes more.

7.      Serve hot with toasted bread slices.

Masoor dal with pattypan squash

Aunt Mojca had bought a packet of red lentils, and she wished to learn some simple Indian recipes using those. Lentils in Bengal are quite watery. Often we add different seasonal vegetables and keep it simple with maybe a bit of cumin, ginger, nigella seeds etc used to temper the fat. Therefore, that is what I wished to show to aunt Mojca. The plan was to use simple spices so that she can later cook the same recipe without having to worry about where to get the more exotic Indian spices. Squashes are perfect complimentary vegetables for this dal, and we decided to dice in the pattypan squash growing in her garden. While we enjoyed the dal with the steaming rice during lunch, I also told her about different variations of the same preparation that she can make.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

200g massor dal (split red lentils)

1 medium pattypan squash

1.5tbsp ginger paste

1/2sp turmeric powder

1sp cumin seeds

2tbsp ghee

Salt, sugar

METHOD:

1.       Wash the split red lentils. Dice the pattypan squash into small cubes.

2.       In a heavy bottomed pot, add the lentils, ginger paste, turmeric powder, salt to taste, and a pinch of sugar. Add 750ml of water. Bring to boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes.

3.       Using a hand blender give the lentils a quick blend. Add the pattypan squash. Simmer covered for 15-20 more minutes until the squash is soft and lentil well cooked. (Add more water while cooking if necessary to get a thick soupy consistency).

4.       In a small wok, heat the ghee. Temper it with the cumin seeds. When the seeds start crackling, add the tempered ghee into the cooked lentils. Give a gentle stir before serving with steaming rice.

Kolai dal with zucchini

A zucchini from the garden and a cup of kolai dal (urad dal/black gram) left in the cupboard. Coming back from a vacation to a busy week and empty fridge. All these led to this recipe. I wished to keep everything simple and mild. A bit of ginger paste, the aroma of cumin seeds in ghee, and a hint of chili complimenting the flavors of the lentils and the zucchini created this clean simple lentil dish.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

1tbsp ginger paste

1sp cumin seeds

1cup kolai dal (split black gram without husk/urad dal)

1 pinch turmeric powder

200g zucchini

2-3 green chilies

1tbsp ghee

Salt, sugar, oil

METHOD:

1.       Wash the kolai dal well. Cut the zucchini into thick circles.

2.       Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pot. Temper the ghee with green chilies and cumin seeds.

3.       Add the ginger paste. Fry on low heat until it is fragrant.

4.       Add the kolai dal and stir for a couple of minuted.

5.       Add salt, pinch of sugar, turmeric and 3 cups of water. Cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes.

6.       Add the zucchini slices. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes more until the kolai dal is well cooked. (Adding a bit of water at a time if needed).

7.       Cook uncovered for a couple of minutes more until the there is almost no water left.