Date: 10/30/2010
By
Jayshree Seth
Dal is the generic Hindi term for lentils and a part of everyday meal for most Indians. There are several lentil varieties with various shapes, sizes and colors! In preparing them there are myriad variations with seasonal/local ingredients, influences and techniques.
The basic idea is to mix cooked lentils with the seasoning/tempering. A very common version, elegant in its simplicity, is seasoned with
ghee and cumin seeds only. The more festive/”restaurant or party style” is likely to have onions/tomatoes/
masala etc. The tempering is referred to as
‘chaunk’,
‘tadka’ or
‘vagar’.
Arhar dal, also known as
Toor dal, is a commonly prepared dish (and the main element of the ultimate Indian comfort foods:
dal-chawal (rice) and
dal-roti (Indian
flatbread).
Oh..and it is one of the yellow
dals – there are more:
mung and
chana are yellow too !
Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)
- 1 cup toor dal
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
Onion-Tomato
Chaunk:
- 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 2 cloves (laung)
- 1 small cinnamon stick (0.5”)
- 1 medium onion chopped (approx 1 cup)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (lal mirch)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 small tomato, chopped (approx ¾ cup)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste**
** I was disappointed in the flavors of ‘retail’ tomatoes when I first moved to the US. Soon I realized it was because they were ‘designed’ for travel not for taste. After discovering tomato paste (which is not an ingredient used or commonly available in India) I started adding that for depth of flavor and color and find that it does a good job in building back the concentrated tomato flavors. (Don’t need to add paste if using Heirloom tomatoes).
Directions:
Triple wash the
dal and pressure cook with water, salt and turmeric. (Typically takes 8-10 minutes for first whistle, reduce heat after that and let cook for another 6-8 minutes). Turn off the heat and wait until steam has stopped before opening the pressure cooker (about 10 minutes).
Heat oil on medium-high heat in a saucepan. Once hot, add cumin seeds,
asafoetida, cloves and cinnamon. As soon as cumin seeds brown add the chopped onions and garlic and reduce heat to medium. Saute until onions are translucent. (takes about 3-5 minutes). Add the spices and keep stirring for a minute or so. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and a little water if too dry. Cook the mixture for about 4-6 minutes (will look like a thick sauce). Add the onion-tomato mixture to the pressure cooked
dal and bring to boil. Adjust consistency with water if needed.
(Optionally, garnish with chopped cilantro). Serve with rice or
roti.
Now for the simpler, classic plain
dal seasoning..
Ghee
Chaunk:
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (lal mirch)
Heat the ghee in a small saucepan. Add cumin seeds and hing. When cumin seeds brown add
chilli powder and quickly pour the seasoning over the cooked
dal. (Red
chilli powder burns very easily in hot oil. A tablespoon of water can be added right after adding
chilli powder to prevent burning).
Other common ingredients/variations:
For tangy flavor: Can add fresh lime/lemon juice,
Amchur (dried mango powder),
kokum (a local dried plum like fruit found in Western India) or tamarind (
imli)
For mild sweetness: Add sugar or
jaggery (
gud) unrefined Indian sugar (Gujarati
dal)
For extra heat: Add chopped fresh green chilies or red whole chilies
Other aromatics: Bay leaf, curry leaves
Fresh chopped ginger along with onions and garlic
Mustard seeds (
rai) in addition to/or instead of cumin seeds
Leafy vegetables such as spinach (
palak) are also added for
palak-
dal
