Sambhar Dal

Tangy Toor Dal (Split pigeon peas) with a medley of vegetables.

A staple in every South Indian household with every family having their own little touch and tweak.

In my Bong kitchen too, Sambar is much loved and right or wrong, we don't know...but we pronounce this delightful tangy concoction of Dal and vegetables as Sambhar 😉😘.

Ingredients for 6 servings

Toor/Arhar Dal ...150 gm

Water to cook Dal...450 ml (3 cups)

Vegetables like Drumsticks, carrot, bhindi (okra), lauki/lau (bottle gourd), pumpkin, Brinjal....all cut into 1-1.5" lengths.

Today I used carrot, bhindi, lauki and potato ....thanks to an almost empty fridge.

Tamarind ...a lemon sized ball

Turmeric ... 1 tsp

Sambar powder (store bought) ..3- 4 tbsp

Salt to taste

Sugar...a pinch to balance excess tangyness of tamarind.

Garlic pods...5-6 (optional)...I did not use today

Curry leaves... 10 - 12

Dry Whole red chili ..2-3

Mustard seeds... 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds....1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds ..1/4 tsp

Red chili powder... 1/2 tsp optional

Kashmiri chili powder.. 1/2 tsp

Hing / asafoetida...1/2 tsp

Green chili..2-3

Coriander leaves...for garnishing 

Rice Bran oil / Sesame oil ....3 tbsp in total

Rice powder and a spoon of curd to marinatr and fry the okra.

Procedure:

1. Soak the Dal in hot water for a couple of hours to reduce cooking time.  Not mandatory. 

2. Soak the tamarind in hot water to make the pulp. 

3. Place the Dal,  a pinch of turmeric, salt and water in my mini presurre cooker. Cook for 3 whistles and let the pressure release naturally. 

4. While the Dal is cooking, smear the 1 cm chopped bhindi with salt, hing, Rice powder, chili powder and 2-3 drops of water. In a kadhai, heat oil and shallow fry the bhindi with a tsp of curd (to prevent) sticking.  After frying , keep the bhindi aside.

I do this as I like the bhindi in sambhar to have a crunch. You can cook it with other veggies if you have no such preference.

5. Today I steamed the other vegetables while Rice was cooking in the steamer of the Rice cooker....for about 5-7 minutes. Vegetables can also be cooked in the pressure cooker along with the Dal if there's a time crunch.

6. In the kadhai in which bhindi was being fried, add diced onion petal. No additional oil required. Remove the steamed vegetables (carrot, lauki, potato) from the steamer and add to the kadhai . Saute after adding salt, turmeric. Once the rawness of veggies are done away with,  add red chili, Kashmiri chili, sambar masala. Fry theveggies and masala well. 

7. Now pour the pressure cooked Dal into the kadhai.  Stir well to combine the Dal and veggies. Add water to adjust the consistency.  Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat, add the tamarind pulp and a pinch of sugar. Let it come to a boil. Add the fried bhindi.

8. In a small pan, heat oil and temper with whole,  dried red chilies, curry leaves, hing mustard-cumin-fenugreek seeds. Once the crackling stops, pour into the booking Dal.

9. Add a tablespoon of ghee into the Dal and garnish with chopped coriander leaves abs green chilies. 

Serve a bowl of steaming health and goodness with Rice / Idli / Sambar / Uttàpam.

Sheddho Mushirir Dal...comfort food

Boiled Red Lentil 

 

Lunch (or Dinner) can't get simpler than this....

Phyana Bhaat (soft , runny, aromatic rice), ce), Sheddho Daal (boiled dal), Dim Sheddho (boiled Egg), Alu Sheddho (boiled potato)...

It's a Bong's comfort food that transports him/her to food nirvana 😋.

Ingredients : 

Masoor Dal.... 75 -100gm

Garlic pods...8-10

Tomato...1 large...roughly diced

Green chili...as many as per heat tolerance

Butter ...2 cubes of 1cm each (can be replaced with mustard oil or ghee)

Diced Onions can also be used which I avoided today. Add diced onions if using, alongside the tomatoes.

For the Phyana Bhaat (soft runny aromatic rice), I used the traditional Gobindobhog Rice...due to an extra whistle of the pressure cooker, it wasnt as runny as I wanted...but the divine aroma enhanced with dollops of ghee made my day.

Procedure :

1. Wash the dal. 

2. In a pressure cooker, place the washed dal, garlic pods, salt, a pinch of turmeric, chopped tomatoes, diced onions (I avoided), 2-3 green chilies, 2 cubes of butter / garlic butter / 1 tsp of ghee or mustard oil 

3. Add 400ml of water. Pressure cook till 3 whistles go off.

4. Let the pressure release naturally. Open the pressure cooker and give the dal a swirl to enhance its creamy consistency. Add water if required, but this boiled dal is had a bit thicker than your normal everyday Masoor Dal (Patla mushurir dal).

5. Best served with steaming hot phyana bhaat, Alu Sheddho/Chokha , Dim Sheddho with further (optional) dollops of butter or ghee for extra indulgence.

 
This Dal tastes awesome as a Lentil Soup...warm, buttery, creamy, with or without a crisp buttered bread toast

Kolai Dal with Chingri Maachh

Roasted Urad Dal with Prawns

Ingredients:

Dry Roasted Urad Dal 200gm

Ginger Garlic paste

Tej Pata

Whole Garam Masala

Onion paste

Onion chopped

Tomato

Turmeric

 Salt

Fennel seed (mouri)

Dry Whole red chili

Procedure

1) dry roast dal and wash

2) in a pressure cooker, add whole garam masala, ginger garlic paste, Tej Pata,  Onion paste, Haldi, Salt, sugar.  Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. 

3) In a wok, pour 3 tbsp of oil. Season with fennel seeds when hot,  followed  by chopped garlic and chopped Onion. Fry till golden.

4) add the Prawns into the woke after  smearing with Salt, haldi, chili powder. Fry till golden.

5) pour the pressure cooked Dal into the wok. Let it come to a boil. 

6) garnish with ghee, green chilies and coriander leaves (chopped)

Note: The photograph was clicked as an afterthought,  much after the dal was relished by us all and doesn't do justice to its taste 😀 

Dalia & Green Moong Daal Mixed Paratha

Parathas made of Broken wheat & Green Gram 

A simple, hassle free, super nutritious I'd downloaded from the net and make very often...but never blogge about. To ensure the recipe is safe and sound in my e-recipe book, in case my memory fails me or my laptop crashes, thought of noting it down....

The ratio of ingredients in the original recipe was Dalia : Sabut moong :Ata = 3/4:1/4:1 cups. And there was no onion in the recipe. 
The following are my measurements. 

Ingredients :
Broken wheat (dalia/lapsi) 1 cup
Green gram (sabut moong) 1/2 cup
Whole wheat flour (atta) 1 & 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Ginger 2 inch piece
Finely chopped onion - 1
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped finely chopped - 1/2 cup
Green chilli, chopped finely chopped- depending on the heat tolerance
Oil 2-3 teaspoon

Procedure :
1. Clean dalia well.
2. Soak sabut moong for about an hour. Drain and set aside.
3. Pressure-cookd dalia and whole moong in 2 -2.5 cups of water until soft. I require 5-6 whistles if the moong is not soaked for long.  Cool and mash the mixture.

4. Combine wheat flour, salt and oil.
5. Mix wheat flour with cooked and mashed whole dalia and moong.
6. Add grated ginger, chopped onions, chopped coriander leaves and green chillies.

7. Add water, if required, a little at a time and knead into a soft and pliable dough.
8. Keep the dough covered with a moist cloth for 15 minutes.

9. Divide the dough into 12-13 equal portions. Form them into balls. Roll out each portion into thin five to six inch sized discs.
10. Brush a little oil on a hot non-stick griddle (tawa) and place the parantha on it and cook on medium heat for half a minute on each side. Reduce heat and cook further till both the sides are slightly browned.

Serve hot with dahi (or raita) and / chutney Achaar.

This recipe is off to 'My Legume Love Affair # 56' being hosted by Lisa. The event was started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

Dhoka'r Dalna (A curry made of lentil dumplings / kofta)

'Dhoka' in Bengali means to cheat. And one of the jewels of Bengali vegetarian main course is DHOKAR DALNA. Why was it named so?  Was it to signify that the dish tasted so delicious despite not containing onion, garlic (the two ingredients considered non-vegetarian in Bengali cuisine), that it could easily fool / cheat everyone into thinking it to be a non-vegetarian dish like fish or meat??? Who knows? May be....maybe not....

A bit cumbersome in preparation but finger licking good, and worth the trouble!

Ingredients :

A) For the Dhokar Boda / Kofta
Chholar Dal / Chana Dal-400-500 gms (approx) - soaked in water overnight
Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Green chili - as per tolerance
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Oil for deep frying

B) For the gravy : ( I made it 100% vegetarian i.e without onion & garlic)
Whole garam masala - elaichi, clove, cinnamon sticks
Bay leaf
Whole jeera - 1 tsp
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Tomatoes - 2-3 chopped
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric /Haldi - 1 tsp
Kashmiri Chili powder - 1- 1.5 tsp
Potatoes - 2-3 cubed
Salt
Sugar
Oil
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Procedure :
1.Drain water from the dal (lentil) soaked overnight.
2. Add all ingredients in 'A' of Ingredients to the Dal, except Hing & Oil. Grind to a paste.
3.In a wok / kadai, pour a little oil and after it heats up, add a pinch of Hing and then add the Dal batter
4.Cook briskly and well on medium flame ...this is 'koshano' in Bengali and continue till the consistency is slightly sticky and neither too dry nor too runny.
5. Place the hot batter in a mound on a flat plate. Flatten it as fast as you can to an approx 2" thick slab. Smoothen the top surface with a belan (rolling pin).
6.After it cools down a bit and also hardens a bit, with a sharp knife, cut diamond shaped or square 'barfis'

7. After it cools down, carefully slide of the cut barfis from the plate and deep fry and keep aside. These fried 'dhokas' are crispy and tasty by their own right and tastes yum as a side dish with Dal.

Now the gravy....
8. Partially fry the cubed potatoes after smearing them with a pinch of Turmeric & salt. keep aside
9. In a kadai, pour 2 tbsp of oil. Add bay leaf, whole garam masala & whole Jeera and a pinch of sugar (for caramelising and giving the dish its colour), once the oil is hot.
10. Add the 1.5-2 tsp of ginger paste followed by chopped tomatoes. Cook on medium to high heat.
11. Add a few drops of water to the dry spice mix of coriander powder+haldi powder+kashmiri chili powder + salt and add the masala paste to the kadai. Cook well on medium to high heat till the tomatoes turn into mush and spices loose their raw smell.
12. Add the partially fried (or 'shaantlano') potatoes and pour 3-3.5 cups of warm water. Cover and bring to a boil.
13. Once the gravy is ready slide in the deep fried 'dhokas' or lentil dumplings/koftas and bring to a boil till the oil swims up.
14. Finish off by garnishing with a spoonful of ghee...of course that's optional...but I like my niramish dishes with a flavour of ghee...

Serve with steamed ric.


Make sure that there's adequate gravy as the 'dhokas' tend to soak up the gravy.

My pics have been taken during dinner while the dhokar dalna was made for  lunch with lots of gravy. See how the gravy has been soaked into the dhokas ...of course that is what makes the dhokas succulent and moist ...

Mushurir Dal

Masoor dal or Red Lentil Soup

In any Bengali household, the ubiquitous Mushurir Dal is very close to the heart. In its multitudes of variations, the change of the seasonings (Paanch Phoron/Kaalo Jeera/Methi/Jeera and Green Chillies/Whole Red Dry Chillies) gives it its different avatars. But the staple protein which the dal provides, folklore has it, that Mushurir Dal protein is more wholesome & nutritous than chicken or meat protein!!

Today's recipe has Paanch Phoron and Whole Red Dry Chillies as the seasoning.

And one of the nuances of typical family traits in cooking a particular dish....in my family, we DON'T add Holud/Haldi/Turmeric to Mushirir Dal!! Why? Frankly, I dont know....but I too follow this religiously!! ;)

Ingredients :-

-Mushurir dal aka Masoor Dal (Red lentil) : 100gm

-Whole dry red chillies : 2

-Paanch Phoron : 1 tsp

-Ginger : 3/4 tsp

-Chopped onions - 1 small onion

-Chopped Tomato : 1/2

-Green Chillies : 2-3

-Coriander Leaves for garnishing

-Salt to taste

-Mustard Oil/White Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure :-

1. Put the washed dal in a pressure cooker. Add ginger, salt and 2 cups of water and pressure cook till 1 or 2 whistles blow.

2. Use a beater to ensure that there are no lumps.

3. Take the Oil in a wok and after it is hot season with 2 whole dry red chillies and Paanch Phoron.

4.Add the chopped onions and lightly fry.

5.Add chopped tomatoes.

6.Add the beaten Dal.

7.Check for salt and add water to make the dal of medium to light consistency (Mushurir Dal as eaten by Bengalis is of light consistency....paatla mushurir dal )

8.Bring to a boil

9.Add 2 slit green chillies and garnish with chopped Coriander Leaves.

The taste of this Dal reaches its maximum potential if eaten with hot steamed rice, with the juice of lemon squeezed and a green chilli rubbed into the dal-rice mix to give off a beautiful taste & aroma...

The speciality of this lentil recipe is that other than the Paanch Phoron (5 spice mix), it is a spice free, almost oil free dish, oozing with the goodness of Red Lentils.

This is my 2nd entry to the BLOG EVENT "LENTILS MELA" hosted by Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine. The logo for the event ..

This is also my 3rd entry to the event WYF:Cuisine. The logo for the event is..

Boiragi Dal....Mixed Lentil Soup

What has Dal (lentils) got to do with Boiragyo or spiritualism? Well, if you go by the name of this Dal…..quite a bit, I guess!

This Dal opens a floodgate of memories….of having lunch with Dadu (my paternal grandfather) during my growing up years.

A man of reticence, well-known amongst relatives for being a strict disciplinarian, with us grandchildren, Dadu was a different man altogether. Age had probably mellowed him. For me, his 'live-in' granddaughter, he was a storehouse of stories…of his growing up years, his schooling in the village pathshaala followed by his college years in Kolkata.

The sepia tinged memories of Dadu narrating his tales of a bygone era while we had lunch (on Sundays and holidays), with the 1 o'clock Bengali newscast on All India Radio in the background, are crystal clear even today, more than 20 years later.
Different stories of different phases of his life…Like when while studying engineering, he, with some friends played hookey and got caught while trying to sneak back to the hostel after a round of football match and were almost suspended by the professor. Of another occasion when the hungry youngsters, fed on measly hostel food, went uninvited, to a wedding party close to their college premises. After the host came to know they were engineering students from the hallowed institution, they were given an almost royal treatment and the boys feasted to their hearts' content. Stories of seaplanes taking off from water instead of the runway left me wide-eyed with wonder and amazement while tales of post World War II Germany and Britain, when food was rationed and life was stark gave me a first hand account of history. Myriad stories of a life spanning the entirety of the 20th century…..
To imagine that a modest dal had so many memories associated with it!!!
Well, coming back to the Dal…..peeping through the cobwebs of the past, the first time I remember having this dal, Dadu asked us whether we knew its name ….Boiragi Dal was what is was called, he said! 'Boiragi'?? I asked, taken aback by the totally out-of-context name. The Boiragis, he explained, lived on alms. And whatever they received as Bhiksha from each grihostho-baari was collected in a common container. And the Boiragi, at the end of the day, cooked this assorted Dal and hence the name Boiragi Dal.

But now as I write, a question comes to mind. Didn't the Boriagi receive any rice as alms. So that would make his day's Bhiksha a mix of Dal and Rice and hence it would become Boiragi Khuchudi!! Or did he have two separate containers for rice and dal? Explanations anyone??

Again, returning to the Dal…..the recipe :

Ingredients :

i) To be pressure cooked :-

-Any number of dal - I used 5 varieties. Masoor (Red Lentils), Toor(Pigeon Pea), Yellow Moong(Yellow lentil), Urad(White lentils), Chana(Split chickpea) : 20 gms each

-Ginger paste : 1 tsp

-Bay leaf : 2

-Salt to taste

-Sugar : a pinch

-Turmeric : 1/4 tsp

-2 glasses of water

ii) Other spices

-Oil : 2tbsp

-Dry red chillie (whole) : 2

-Panch phoron : 1 tsp

-Asafoetida (Hing) : 1 tsp

-Chopped tomatoes - 1

-green chillies : 2-3

-Ghee : 1 tsp

Procedure :-

1. Take all the dals and the other ingredients at (i) and pressure cook till the dal mix is of a creamy consistency. Mix the lentil grains well.

2. Heat oil in a wok.

3.Throw in the dry red chillies, panch phoron, hing and the chopped tomatoes and stir well

4. Pour the dal mix already prepared and kept aside.

5. Stir well and add some water if the consistency is too thick.

6. Check for salt and let it come to a boil

7. Add the slit green chillies and a dash of ghee before taking it off the stove.

8. Ready to serve with steamed white rice

*This is my entry to the BLOG EVENT 'LENTILS MELA' hosted by Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine. The event logo is....

** This is also going to the BLOG EVENT 'MY LEGUME LOVE AFFAIR-EIGHTH HELPING' hosted by The Well-Seasoned Cook. The event logo is...Bibliography :
Boiragi - From the sanskrit word Vairaagya which means Sannyasi or one who has renounced the world
Pathshaala -yesteryear's junior school in villages
Grihostho-baari - home of a family man
Bhiksha - Alms
Panch Phoron - Very commonly used seasoning in Bengali cooking. The 5 spice mix consists of Cumin (Jeera), Fenugreek (Methi), Kalonji (Kalo jeera), Radhuni, Fennel seed (Mouri/Saunf)