FOOD TALK: Humble dal goes gourmet

It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that dal — lentils and legumes — is the backbone or foundation of Indian foods. Dal-roti and dal-bhaat are the staple diets that sustain wheat and rice eaters. Dal is well known as the most important source of protein for vegetarians and it is prepared in myriad ways across the land — sweet-sour, savoury, dry and gravy versions. Dal makhani, prepared with unhusked maash, and sambar and amti as well as arhar in almost infinite variations are well known all over the world.

But, to borrow and tweak an old saying, man does not live by dal-roti alone! To vary the taste and enhance the nutritional value, our ancestors and contemporaries have added vegetables — green leafy ones, tubers as well as squashes to this soup. Sambar from South India and dalma in Odisha are examples of this. In Hyderabad’s dalcha, lentils are cooked with meat. A variation on this theme is encountered in Rampur where urad dal is paired with boneless meat. In Awadh, spinach is added to unhusked moong dal to prepare saag paita. In Kashmiri wazwan, lotus stems are cooked with moong dal to create a delicious combination.

One may readily acknowledge that ‘Dal plus’ is like an old raga in Indian classical music that never ceases to delight due to the limitless improvisations it allows. Or, you may compare it to a folk melody that can follow any path, footloose and whimsical.

Recently, we were treated to a lentil-based exotic dish that took our breath away. To our mind, it is comfort food at its best. You can enjoy it with chappati, parantha or steamed rice. Equally enticing is it as a heart-warming bowl of soup on a cold winter evening! Slurp!

Dal-Plus

Ingredients

Arhar dal (soaked for 30 minutes) 100 gm

Pumpkin (yellow, small) 750 gm

Onions (large) 3

Garlic cloves 6

Green chillies (sweet, plump ones) 2-3

Coriander powder 1&1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder 1/2 tsp

Jaggery 25 gm

Tamarind paste 120 ml

Coconut milk 150 ml

Black mustard seeds 1 tsp

Curry leaves A small sprig

Fresh coriander leaves A small sprig

Coconut oil (or any other vegetable oil) 1/3 cup

Salt To taste

Method

• Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut the flesh roughly into 2-inch long chunks. Peel and finely dice the onions. Crush the garlic cloves.
• Dilute the tamarind paste with one cup of hot water. Crumble the jaggery to obtain coarse powder (you may grate

  it, if you prefer).

• Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan on medium-high flame. Put in the mustard seeds. When these begin to crackle, add the onions, along with curry leaves. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring in between. Lower the flame if these begin to scorch. Sprinkle a few drops of water, if necessary. The onions are done when these acquire a rich golden-brown colour.
• Add lentils, pumpkin and tamarind water, along with salt. Add crushed garlic, green chilli, powdered spices and cook for two to three minutes, stirring continuously to avoid scalding. Stir gently, cover and cook for about 25 minutes on low flame. When done, the pumpkin chunks should be soft, but not mushy.
• Uncover, pour in coconut milk. Sprinkle powdered jaggery. Stir, cover and cook for about five minutes more. If you want a thinner gravy, add three-fourth cup of boiling water to the lentil-squash stew. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and enjoy.

Moong Dal Chicken

This famous Lahori street food dish can be easily prepared at home. Very fortifying for winter!

Ingredients

Chicken 500 gm

Moong dal 250 gm

Onion (large) 1

Tomato (large) 1

Garlic-ginger paste 1-1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Cumin powder 1 tsp

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Garam masala 1/2 tsp

Salt To taste

For tempering

Red chillies whole dried (shredded) 1

Bay leaf 1

Garlic cloves (chopped) 4-5

Green chillies (chopped fine) 2

Coriander (chopped fine) A small sprig

Oil 1 cup

Method

• Wash, clean, trim and pat dry the chicken. Wash and chop the tomatoes. Peel and slice the onion finely. Soak the moong dal for 30 minutes.
• Heat half the oil in a pressure cooker. Put the sliced onion in it. Stir-fry on medium flame till they turn pink.
• Add chicken. Stir-fry till the chicken is well browned. Add garlic-ginger paste, along with the tomatoes, and continue to cook till these are mushy. Add all powdered spices, except the garam masala and salt. Stir well and cover.
• Cook for about two minutes,

  uncover, stir well and continue cooking till the oil separates from masala. Add the dal and stir-fry for a minute.

• Pour in 4 cups of water, put pressure lid on. Switch off the flame after 1 whistle. Let the pressure drop by itself. Uncover, bring to boil, remove scum that rises from the surface.
• Prepare the tempering by heating the remaining oil in a ladle. Add to hot oil the ingredients listed under this head and pour over the lentil-chicken dish. Stir well. Sprinkle garam masala just before serving.
• Garnish with fresh coriander and green chillies. A few drops of lemon juice will enhance the bliss.