D-A-L as simple as A-B-C

You always start with something basic. Be it cooking itself or writing a food blog. And there’s no better place for me to start than the basic Yellow Dal curry, something that I’ve always fondly referred to as ‘Maa Ki Dal’ (Dal, my mum makes.)

For my Indian readers, I know you need no introduction to Dal. Be it as Dal Makhani or Sambar or in its various other versions, we ‘ve all come home to Dal at one point or the other. For the others, the Dal I’m talking about is Toor Dal or split pigeon peas, available in all Indian and Pakistani grocery stores across the world, the pulse is used to make different kinds of curries that go well with rice and Rotis. And it tastes pretty damn good.

For me, Maa Ki Dal has always meant home. I used to run home after school on the days when I knew Mum would have it waiting on the table for me. Bliss for me meant, a well thumbed through Enid Blyton book in one hand as I happily chomped my way through Dal, rice, pappadam and yoghurt. Naturally, it still remains a comfort food.

The best thing about Dal is that it’s so unpretentious, yet it's the best thing to cook when you are a newly-wed trying to impress your spouse, when you don’t have the time but you don’t want to go through the trauma of deciding what to order in, or if you’re a student on a tight budget.

So without much further ado, presenting one of the simplest of Indian curries, Maa Ki Dal.

Ingredients : (For 2)

• 2 fistfuls of Toor Dal
• A pinch of Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• A pinch of red chilli powder / Paprika
• Cooking Oil – 1 tbsp
• Jeera/ cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• One medium onion – Sliced thin
• 2 green chillies – Slit
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste or 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 small tomatoes or 1 medium sized tomato – Quartered
• A pinch of Garam Masala
• A bunch of coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

(Note: Pinch is slightly less than 1/4^th of a teaspoon)

What to do:

• Put the Dal in the pressure cooker. Add 4cups of water and Turmeric and Chilli powder. Pressure cook with the weight on till the first whistle or for 12-15 minutes on a medium flame. Leave the Dal in the cooker for 3-4 minutes after cooking as well.
• If you don’t have a pressure cooker, Dal can also be cooked in a microwave. Soak the Dal in water for at least four hours. In a microwavable dish, add the soaked Dal, with water to the proportion – 2 cups to 1 fist. Next add the Turmeric and chilli powders and microwave for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep non-stick saucepan. Once it starts smoking slightly add the Cumin seeds and Mustard seeds. Wait for the mustard seeds to sputter.
• Add the sliced onion. Sauté and fry for a minute.
• Now, the slit green chilies. Sauté along with the onions.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for a minute.
• Then the Garam masala (This is optional. I add it for that dash of spice. )
• Next, in go the tomatoes. Mix well. Till the mixture in the pan is slightly thick.
• It’s time to open the pressure cooker and take the Dal out. The pulses would have expanded and blended into a yellow gravy. Pour this into the pan. If it’s not watery enough for you, add half a cup. Else just leave it thick.
• Adjust salt as required. I usually go with 1 teaspoon.
• Bring to boil. Switch off and garnish with coriander leaves.

And your Dal is ready. You can reduce the cooking time, by doing your cutting up of the onions and tomatoes and keeping your ingredients ready as the Dal gets pressure-cooked. Rice can also be cooked simultaneously.

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You can also make it one of the dishes in the menu with Chicken Kebabs and pickles as the sides.

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Lemme know how it went! So till next week Adios and happy cooking J