Dal Chawal

Dal Rice is just a name; #dalchawal is an emotion!

Nothing can be more delicious than ghar ke bane dal chawal after a long and tiring journey.

Simple food, simple picture!

If there is one dish with which Indian cuisine, and in that sense, most Indians, share an umbilical-like connect, it has to be the humble dal. Dal in Sanskrit  means “to split.” 

An indispensable part of most Indian thalis, dals can also include vegetables, even meat, and there is a world of them, ranging from the most basic (the simple tarka dal found on most restaurant menus) to the decadent (the extraordinary smoky dal makhni).

Dal recipes vary from household to household and even person to person, and this beloved staple is a source of comfort and a reminder of home for many South Asians living around the world. 

So, long story short, the answer to the question “what is dal?” is not a simple one. Dal is both an ingredient and a dish, a humble meal and a luxurious indulgence, and there’s always something new to learn, whether you’ve grown up enjoying it or are cooking it in your kitchen for the very first time.

Ingredients:

1- Toor  Dal-1/2 cup

2- Lita squash-1 (You can use any squash available)

3- Tomato-1

4- Green chilli-1

5- Ginger-1" piece finely chopped

6- Raw mango slices or sliced amchoor3-4

7- Coriander powder-1 tsp.

8- Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp.

9- Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp.

10- Salt

11- Sambhar masala-1/2 tsp. (Garam masala can be used too)

12- Ghee-2-3 tbsp.

13- Mustard seeds-1 tsp.

14- Green onion- chopped

15- Asafoetida- 1 pinch

16- Kashmiri chilli powder-1 tsp.

17- Curry leaves and cilantro leaves-2 frigs

18- Cumin seeds

Method:

* Wash dal and vegetables and cook in pressure cooker upto 3-4 whistles after adding water, salt, half moon style cut lita squash, tomato, ginger and all the dry spices except kashmiri powder and sambhar powder.

*When done, open the lid and check water consistency and add mango slices.

*Make tadka by adding mustard and cumin seeds in ghee, curry leaves and chopped green onions and green chillies.

*When onion turns slightly brown. add kashmiri chilli and sambhar powder and mix in dal.

*Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with chawal, roti and aalu bhujiya.

Note: Adding sambhar powder will not make this dal like sambhar at all. 

            All the spices used here are not overpowering but complimenting each other!

  

Tadka of green onion, cilantro leaves,  curry leaves,  mustard seeds, cumin, hing , Sambhar powder and kashmiri chili powder makes this dal super yummy.

Served with #aalubhujiya and #chawal.

A soul satisfying food for summer. 

Bhujiya is a very popular term for crispy dry vegetables.