Dal is a traditional Indian dish prepared by cooking lentils with vegetables and spices. This simple yet delicious Dal is a pleasure to the palette.
A common item on the menu and an all time classic at our home is Dal. I think it is pretty much the same in lot of Indian homes.Dal is a traditional Indian dish prepared by cooking lentils with vegetables and spices. There is a wide variety of lentils available and can be used to make Dal. Rich content of protein and fiber in lentils makes Dal a nutritious dish.
Here is a simple Dal recipe my mom makes at home. Channa dal cooked with onions, veggies and coconut paste to a creamy consistency. The blend of coconut tempered with a touch of mild spices gives the dal its unique flavor. This simple yet delicious Dal is a pleasure to the palette.
| Channa Dal | - 1 cup |
| Coconut | - 2 tbsp grated | Onion | - 1 small chopped |
| Potato | - 1 cup diced |
| Carrot | - 1/4 cup diced |
| Green Peas | - 1/4 cup |
| Green chilies | - 4-5 |
| Cloves | - 3 cloves |
| Bay leaf | - 1 small |
| Turmeric | - 1 tsp |
| Ginger Garlic Paste | - 1 tsp |
| Cilantro | - for garnish |
Place channa dal and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker, cook for 2 -3 whistles. If cooking over stove top, cook dal until soft.
Mash the dal and keep aside.
Grind the coconut to a fine powder/paste in a blender and keep aside.
You can substitute 1/4 cup of coconut milk for coconut paste.
Heat some oil in a heavy bottom vessel.Add cloves, bay leaf, green chilies and ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute until it flavors the oil.
Add chopped onions and fry until it is cooked and translucent.Add the diced potatoes, carrots and green peas and cook until done.
Since it takes a while to cook potatoes, I pre-cook them before adding it to the onions. You can cook them on stove or in a microwave. You can do the same for carrots and green peas as well.
Add mashed dal, coconut powder/paste, turmeric, salt and stir well. If the Dal is too thick add some water to it.
Bring it to boil on simmer (low-heat), stirring frequently.
Turn off the heat, garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice or rotis.
This is my entry to Susan's My Legume Love Affair 27
4 comments:
I've just awakened to another drab and rainy day. How lovely it would be to tuck into this deliciously cheerful dal. So pretty.
Thank you, Yummy Morsel, for your MLLA recipe!
I've never used coconut when cooking my type of Dal. May be I should try it with coconut and see how it comes out! As always - brilliant pics.
Thanks, Batool. You should try this one out. This Dal tastes very different from other Dals, it has a unique flavor.
Never tried coconut milk in my dal even though I knw its common in South Indian style dals. Thanks for posting and inspiring :)
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