PAALAK DAL (ANDHRA STYLE)

The aroma of paalak dal takes me back to my childhood memories when after getting back from school in the afternoon I would treat myself with a bowl full of such tasty dals prepared by Ma with a spoonful of ghee. Such blissful days they were….

 Paalak or spinach is popular for its health benefits. Thanks to Popeye for that. It is a widely consumed leafy vegetable in India. It is prepared in the form of sabzi, parantha, rice and snacks.

I have prepared paalak dal with tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentil. The process includes three easy steps.

Initially pressure cook lentil with paalak, then simmer and finally season it with a tempering.

Here is a key to a tasty dal. The simmering has to be done for at least eight to ten minutes.

Recipe for Paalak Dal

Ingredients for Paalak Dal

• ¾ cup tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentil
• 1 ½ cups paalak or spinach (chopped)
• ½ cup onion (chopped)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chilly powder
• 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies (slit into two pieces)
• 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
• Salt to taste

For Tempering

• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 6 cloves garlic
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• 2 whole red chillies (broken in two pieces)
• 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

How to make

Take the dal in a pressure cooker with two cups of water. Add onions, green chillies, red chilli powder, garlic, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and chopped paalak. Pressure cook the dal until done.

Let the pressure come down.

Use a balloon whisk or hand blender to blend the cooked dal. Add one cup of water, salt and tamarind pulp to it. Blend again.

Simmer for eight to ten minutes.

Heat ghee in a small kadhai (skillet). Add crushed garlic, asafoetida, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red chillies.

Serve with steamed rice and papadams.

DAL FRY (DHABA STYLE)

Dal fry served at dhabas and restaurants definitely wins our heart over other dishes. This recipe is inspired from dal fry served at a dhaba on the outskirts of Ludhiana in Punjab. 

Dal or lentils are an integral part of meal in India. Dal fry can be prepared with just arhar dal (pigeon peas) or with two or more dals. In my recipe I have used Bengal gram(chana dal) with arhar dal.

Dal fry has a thick soup like consistency. Initially the dal is pressure cooked and then added to the tempering (baghaar). It is simmered till all the flavours of tempering are infused in the dal.

Dal fry with jeera rice is a all time favourite combination.

Recipe of Dal Fry

Ingredients of Dal Fry

• 1 cup arhar dal or pigeon peas lentil
• 2 tbsp chana dal or bengal gram lentil
• ½ cup onions (chopped)
• ¾ cup tomatoes (chopped)
• ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chillies (chopped)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• Few sprigs of mint leaves
• 1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

How to make

Pressure cook arhar and chana dal with a little turmeric powder.

Put oil and ghee in a medium sized sauce pan. Heat it for tempering.

Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida.

Now add the onions. Cook till they become translucent.

Add ginger garlic paste. Cook for half a minute.

Add turmeric, coriander and chilli powder.

Add tomatoes, green chillies and mint leaves. Cook till tomatoes become soft.

Now add the cooked dal. Mix well.

Add one to two cups of water. Bring to boil.

Simmer for five to seven minutes.

Garnish with coriander.

Serve with jeera rice and dry sabzi. 

DRUMSTICKS WITH ARHAR DAL

Drumstick is has some unique health benefits such as it is a energy giving vegetable, also it has anti fungal and anti bacterial properties. It is good for brain health, weight management and digestion. The drumstick pods are known to have high medicinal value.

It is a commonly used vegetable in south India whereas in north India it’s use is quite limited. It is prepared with dal or lentils, vegetables, meat, as curry and even pickle.

Use of drumsticks in dal makes it more nutritious.  This flavourful variant of  arhar dal will definitely win many hearts.

Recipe for Drumsticks with Arhar dal

Ingredients for Drumsticks with Arhar dal

• 1 cup arhar dal or pigeon peas
• 300 gms drumsticks (cut into 3 inch long pieces)
• ½ cup onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 cup tomatoes (thinly sliced)
• 2 green chillies (slit into halves)
• 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• Salt to taste

For tempering

• 5 cloves garlic (crushed)
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 8 curry leaves
• 3 whole dry red chillies (cut into 4 pieces)

How to make

Wash the arhar dal. Tip it in a pressure cooker. Add two cups of water followed by turmeric powder, chilly powder, onions, tomatoes, four crushed garlic cloves, green chillies.

Pressure cook until done. Let the pressure come down. Let it cool for atleast ten minutes.

Mash the dal mixture with a balloon whisk or a masher until smooth.

Add two cups of water to the dal mixture. Tip in the pieces of drumsticks.

As the dal comes to a boil, lower the heat, simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until the drumsticks are almost done.

Now add the tamarind pulp and salt. Simmer for three to four minutes.

Heat two tablespoon of oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, crushed garlic, dry red chillies and curry leaves. As the garlic becomes golden in colour add this tempering to the dal.

Remove dal from heat.

Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with steamed rice, pickle and papad.

MASOOR KI DAL /RED GRAM DAL

Recipe for Masoor ki dal

Dals or lentils being the essential part of our daily diet are good for health. Masoor dal or red gram dal is extremely rich in fibre and proteins. It also lowers the cholesterol level. I make it a point to prepare all kinds of dals. At times I even prepare mixed dals like arhar and moong, moong and masoor, panchratni dal (arhar,moong,masoor,chana and urad),..

I would suggest having just the dal like a soup. On some days when I do not want to indulge myself in too much of cooking I go for dishes like these. They take less time to prepare and are also wholesome. I have used the whole masoor dal to add to its health value. This recipe is simple to make and very tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole masoor dal
• 2 onions (finely chopped)
• 2 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp ginger (grated)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼  tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tbsp refined oil
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnish

How to make

Soak the dal for 3 to 4 hours. Pressure cook the dal until done.

Heat oil add cumin seeds. As the cumin starts spluttering add green chillies and onions. 

Saute till the onions become translucent. Add the grated ginger. Saute for another minute.

Add the turmeric powder and mix well.

Now add the cooked dal and salt to taste. Add 1 ½ cup of water and let it simmer on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.

Serve hot with rice, roti or chapatti.