Dal

Dal Bhat ( Lentils and rice) | Nepalese Style

February 5, 2014 By

For this month I chose National dishes as theme for BM while browsing to the countries national dish I found this very simple comforting dal was my first pick from the list. This super simple and very easy to make dal bhat which nepali’s national dish is so quick to make with very less ingredients and are served With plain white rice. This is my routine dal I make for My kiddo though I didn’t know that it prevails from nepal and this one is said to their national dish. This dal is similar to our Khatti dal / kootu we make but this is also made with brown lentils in some parts of nepal. Recipe for dal bhat varies according to season/ Region and family.

Dal bhat is nothing but dal or lentils stew with white rice . This dal bhat is generally accompanied with vegetable sabzi / Tarkari and a little pickle . As I had yellow lentil available at my home readily I choose to make it with yellow lentil / Pigeon peas But any kind of lentil can be used red /Brown. Now let move to this hearty traditional nepali dal bhat .Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#37

Ingredients

1 cup yellow ( Toor dal) or brown lentils
1 medium Onion ( Chopped)
2 No Red dried chilis
1 small Tomato ( Chopped)
1/2 tsp Turmeric pd
1 clove Garlic ( Minced)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
4-5 Cups Water
2-3 tbsp Coriander leaves ( Chopped)
salt to taste

Method

Wash and drain the lentils . Keep it a side.
In a pressure cooker heat oil add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Garlic and red chillies .
After they splutter add onion and saute them till translucent.
Add chopped tomato and cook them till mushy.
Add the lentils,water, turmeric pd and salt.
Close the lid and cook them for 3-4 whistles.
After the pressure subsides open the lid and stir the dal once .
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve them with steamed rice.

Kovaikka Sambhar/ Tindora sambhar

September 10, 2013 By

I love south Indian cuisine a lot so i try all south indian cuisines at home even my H loves south indian poriyals rasam , sambhar . Sambhar rice is one of our favorite and for today i wanted to share this delicious sambhar which my neighbor used to make often in chennai and i just loved the aroma of it .

This an delicious lentil soup from Tamil nadu with Ivy gourd in it makes it more flavorful and tasty . Any sambhar when made with different veggies in it taste different so i tried my hand with tindora / kovaikkai in tamil . Lets move on to this delicious and our family fav recipe 🙂

Ingredients

Toor dal – 1 cup
Kovakkai (tindora/Ivy gourd,cut lengthwise) –
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Coriander/ dhania powder – 1 tbsp
Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
Sambhar pd – 2 tsp (adjust according to your taste)
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Tomato (medium,chopped) – 1
Dry Red chilli – 2-3 Nos
Shallots- 6
Tamarind – size of a gooseberry (soaked in warm water and squeeze out the tamrind extract)
Curry leaves – 2 sprig
salt to taste
oil – 2 tbsp
Dry red chilly –2 nos
Coriander leaves (chopped ) – For garinsh

Method

Pressure cook dal with turmeric powder and chopped tomatoes.
Once dal is cooked well, open the lid and mash them nicely.
Add some water to the dal about 1/2 cup or so to make them thin and also add tamarind extract and mix them.
In pan heat oil , add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Dry red chilli, curry leaves after the splutter add shallots and saute till transparent
Then comes Kovaikka/Tindora, add and saute for a while add the red chilli , turmeric , dhania,sambhar pd , salt and mix them well sprinkle some water .
Now add the sauteed veggie to dal and mix them .
Now boil the sambhar in medium heat till kovaikka / tindora gets cooked and are mashable.
Add sufficient amount of water to make the sambhar thiner if you want don’t make it too thin .
Once the Kovaikai are done switch off the flame, Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves and serve this piping hot sambhar with steamed rice and cabbage poriyal .

Sending to Potluck party JCO and Nivedhanam

Tamizhar samayal Tuesday whose brain child is +nalini suresh . Am so happy make this sambhar for first tuesday of this new event where we have to share tamil nadu cuisines every 2nd and 4 th tuesday in a month.

Sending To Gujarati zaika

Sending To Cutchi kitchen

Magamethi/ Whole green moong dhal Curry (Oil Free Dal)

May 17, 2013 By

Maghamethi / whole moong dal curry is an simple and delicious dal variety which needs very less labour and this Method which meenu anuty has given is oil free so people who are diet conscious this the perfect recipe to try with lots of protein and mineral in it 🙂

Thank you meenu anuty for this quick version of dal we enjoyed a lot . Click here to see meenu anuty’s recipe 🙂

Ingredients

1 cup green whole moong
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 Green chillies
1/2 tsp red chilli pd
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
a pinch of hing/ Asafortida
a small piece of chopped ginger
salt to taste
1/4 tsp Amchur pd or 1 tsp lemon juice

For garnish

Few curry Leaves
Few chopped coriander leaves

Method

Soak moong dhal and fenugreek in water for 1 hour.
In pressure cooker, cook moong with fenugreek seeds with one cup of water.
Keep for 2 whistles and once pressure cooker cools down, open the lid and roughly mash the moong or use hand blender or a spatula.
Add some more water and then add all dry ingredients ,salt, turmeric, amchur, asafoetida . Also add finely chopped green chilli with curry leaves and ginger.
Boil the dal till you get the right consistency and all the ingredients come together. Serve hot with rice or roti . Garnish them with coriander leaves.

Tips

If using lemon juice add it 5 mins before you remove dhal from heat.
You can even add chole/kabuli channa to this dal and make it more delicious and healthy .

Sending to Homely Food

Dal Palak

April 30, 2013 By

Am here with another healthy dal variety from Homely Food . This is a healthy version of dal which is had with steamed rice. Its is really easy to make and comforting food. As my H likes palak i make this dal often and its our favourite . Dal palak is an healthy combo of spinach and lentils which make this recipe a very healthy side for rice or roti. Lets move on to the recipe quickly 🙂

Ingredients

4 cups/ 1 bunch tightly packed Spinach
1 cup Pigeon Peas (Tuvar/Toor dal)
1 tsp Red chilli pd
1/4 tsp Turmeric pd
1/2 tsp Cumin pd
1 tsp Coriander pd
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1-2 tsp Sambar Powder,or as per taste- optional
1 no medium sized- onion
Tamarind – 1 small lemon size (soak it warm water and remove the extract)
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste

For Tempering

1 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 tsp Urad dal, split and skinned (black gram lentil)
1-2 Dried Red Chilli
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida Powder
Salt to taste
Oil / ghee- 2 tbsp

Method

While you can cook your lentils on stove top, But pressure cooker makes things easier and faster so i use pressure cooker. Add 2-1/2 cups water to the pigeon peas along with turmeric and cook for 8-10 minutes (3-4 whistles).
While that’s cooking, chop off the ends/roots from the fresh spinach .
Fill your basin with water and drop the leaves until they are fully submerged in water and clean them.
Now chop the leaves, In a pan add 1 tsp of oil and saute onion till transparent, add ginger garlic paste saute for a while and then add the spinach and saute slightly. Add all the dry masala’s redchilli pd , turmeric pd, cumin pd, coriander pd and sambhar pd. Mix them well.
Remove the cooked pigeon peas from the pressure cooker.
Mash it lightly with the a spatula/spoon.
Add it to the spinach mixture and also add the tamarind extract .Mix until combined.
For the tempering, heat the ghee/oil in a pan. Add the red chillies, cumin seeds, urad dhal , mustard seeds and asafoetida.
When the seeds crackle, pour the tempering over the cooked dal. Add the chopped coriander, mix well and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
Serve hot with steamed rice.