Bhuna Tamatar ki Dal

A regular in my kitchen, this slightly tangy dal is best enjoyed with plain rice and some pakora by the side. Those who faces struggle to feed dal to their kids can try this. 

Ingredients

• Musur Dal - 1 Cup
• Tomatoes - 2
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Chopped Garlic - 1/2 tbsp
• Finely chopped ginger - 1 tsp
• Dry Red chilli - 2
• Green chilli - 2
• Salt, Turmeric, Sugar

Wash and boil the dal with a pinch of salt and turmeric and slitted green chilli. Keep aside.

Chop the tomatoes roughly. In a non stick pan, add oil, then add the mustard seeds with broken dry red chilli. Let it splutter.

Now add the chopped ginger and garlic and fry till fragrant. 

Add the chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt and cook covered till it is mashed. 

Pour the dal and let it boil for 5 minutes over low heat. Adjust the seasoning. If you like the sweet and sour taste, you may add a spoonful of sugar.

Remove from heat and add a tbsp of Ghee. Keep covered.

Serve with love.

Dim diye musur dal- Lentil with Eggs

I face quite a bit of struggle while feeding dal to my son. He is such a hard core non-vegetarian, he only eats dal cooked with fish head, ( a bengali delicacy, machher matha diye dal).  Hopefully things will be better now. I got this recipe, where musur dal, or red lentil is cooked in a regular manner, but with addition of boiled eggs, which are halved  and fried separately. 

Ingredients

• Red Lentil / Musur Dal - 1/2 cup
• Onion - 1, small, chopped
• Green chilli - as per taste
• Eggs - 2, boiled
• Ginger Paste - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic chopped, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, turmeric, sugar
• Bay leaves - 2

Pressure cook the dal with salt and turmeric. add sugar, slit green chilli and keep aside.

Cut the boiled eggs into half, smear salt and turmeric. Fry in little oil and keep aside.

In a clean pan, add 1 tbsp oil, then add the bay leaf, garam masala, then add the chopped onion. Fry till golden brown. Add chopped garlic. 

Then add the boiled dal and mix well. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Add a bit of water, if dal is too thick.

Add ginger paste and mix well. Slide in the fried eggs. Boil for 2 more minutes and remove from heat.
Serve with plain rice.

Paat Shaak Dal - Lentil with Jute Greens

Got a bunch of paat shaak ( tender jute leaves ) from the local vegetable market. The first thing that comes to your mind for paat shaak is preparing a typical bong fritter which goes well with rice and dal. But this time I was in health mode ;) and decided not to take the fry route. Instead use it in dal and boy.. it was amazing !!!

Ingredients

• Masoor dal - 1 cup
• Paat Shak / Jute greens - a bunch
• Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
• Tomato - 1, chopped
• Green Chillies - 2, chopped
• Turmeric, Salt, Sugar - As required
• Oil - 1 tsp

Remove the leaves from the stem and wash thoroughly . Boil the dal / lentil with salt, turmeric and green chilli and keep aside.

Add oil in a wok and when it is smoking, add the garlic. let it become brown.

Add the chopped tomatoes and the greens and stir fry for a minute. Net add the boiled dal with a cup of water and mix well with the greens.

Let it boil for 5 minutes till the leaves are tender and the dal thickened a bit. adjust the seasoning. Serve hot with Rice.

Sending this to the "Fiber Rich Dishes" Event Conducted by Dish it Out.

Arhar Daal - Toor Daal Bengali way

For better experience,Please visit our revamped site through this link:


https://jayatisfoodjourney.com/2013/05/25/arhar-daal-toor-daal-bengali-way/


Arhar daal is one of my favourite, specially when it is seasoned with Ghee and Hing (asafoetida). The smell reminds me of my maternal grand mom, who was a great cook and it was one of her signature dish.

Ingredients

• Arhar dal or pigeon beans - 1 cup   

• Clarified butter / ghee - 2 tbsp 
• Bay leaves - 2
• Asafetida / Hing - A pinch
• Cumin seed - 1/2 tsp 
• Dried red chili (broken) - 1
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Salt to taste 
• Sugar - 2 tsp

Put dal with 3 cups of water, salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker. 
Take ghee or clarified butter in a pan, heat it; add cumin seed and bay leaves. When the cumin seeds begin to sputter add hing and dried red chilli, stir it and fry till the chilli turns black.

Pour the dal and let it boil for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and mix well. 

Enjoy with plain rice and fried brinjal ( Begun Vaja).

Sabji Dal (Lentil with Vegetables)

Moong Dal cooked with cauliflower and peas... very delicious and healthy too. 

Ingredients

• Moong Dal - Dry roasted - 1/2 cup   
• Cauliflower - 1
• Peas - 1/2 cup
• Potato - 1, cut into cubes
• Tomato - 1, chopped
• Jeera / Cumin - 1 tsp
• Bay leaves - 2
• Green Chilli - 2
• Salt, Turmeric, Sugar - As required
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Pressure cook the roasted moong dal with salt, turmeric and green chillies.

In a kadai, add oil. When it is hot, add bayleaves and jeera and let it crackle.

Fry the potatoes till golden brown. Add cauliflower and fry for 2 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes and continue frying.

Add boiled dal with a cup of water. Adjust the salt and sugar. Add the peas and mix well.

 Let it boil for some time till the vegetables become soft. Add a spoonful of ghee if you like. Serve immediately.

Teto Daal ( Daal with bittergourd)

Teto daal or daal with bittergourd is a bengali delicacy. It's a custom among bengalis to have something bitter at the beginning of lunch meal and it is believed that it helps in digestion. Here, even if bitter gourd is mixed with daal ( Lentil) it does not taste that bitter, so person who does not like bittergourd still can have it.

Ingredients

• Moong Daal - 1 bowl, dry roasted   
• Bitter Gourd - 2, sliced
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Methi - 1 tsp
• Dry Red Chilli - 1
• Bay leaves - 1
• Green Chilli - 2
• White oil - 1 tbsp
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Salt, Turmeric - As required
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp

wash and pressure cook the daal with a pinch of salt.

Add turmeric powder, salt and ginger paste to the boiled daal and mix well.

Add white oil in a kadai. Now add the jeera and Methi and let it splutter.

Now add the bay leaves and dry red chilli and turn it frequently till the red chilli becomes black. 

Add the ghee. When it is hot, add the sliced bitter gourd with a pinch of salt and fry till it almost turns brown.

Add the daal with some water if required and let it boil for 5-7 minutes over low heat. When bitter gourd becomes soft, adjust the salt. Mix your sugar at this point. 

Your tetor daal is ready to be served. Add one or two green chilli and keep covered. Serve with plain rice.

Palong Daal

 

While cooking daal, added some palong shaak (fresh Spinach leaves) to it and a healthy dish is made quickly. My husband loved it !!

Ingredients

• Arhar Daal - 1 handful
• Fresh Spinach - 1 bunch
• Hing (asafoetida) - a pinch
• Bay leaves - 2
• Green Chilli - 1
• Red Chilli - 2
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - A pinch
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt & Turmeric - As required

Clean and wash the spinach thoroughly. Pressure cook the daal with green chilli and salt and keep aside.
Add ghee to a hot kadai. Now add hing to it followed by bayleaves, red chilli and cumin seeds.
When masalas crackle, add Spinach and stir fry for a minute.

Add boiled daal and mix well. 

 Add a pinch of turmeric and boil till the spinach is wilted. You can add some more water if required. Adjust the seasoning.

At the end, add a tsp of sugar. You may top it up with another tsp of ghee just before turning off the heat.
Have it with rice or roti.