Daal - the quintessential indian starter

What is an Indian meal without Daal? I was talking to a former student yesterday and she said that she hated daal! This set me off thinking that maybe she did not know what good daal tastes like :) Daal can vary from the boring watery soup like gruel to a wonderful hearty meal. The basic principle of cooking is very similar so here I shall present four basic daal recipes and then one could experiment once mastery of these daals is achieved .

Mushur daal/ red lentil ( a family favorite)

This is an all purpose daal that is a staple in most bengali households. This can be eaten by itself like a soup or with bhajaas and a non veg dish. This daal cooks pretty easily and so can be cooked without a pressure cooker. However, if you are going to cook it without a pressure cooker, soak the dal in warm water for 30 mins before you boil it. To boil any dal ( excelt moong daal) just wash well, add 3 cups of water to 1 cup of daal ( more if you like your daal soupy) , pinch of salt, turmeric and 2-3 green chilli, split in the middle for flavor but not spiciness. Pressure cook till the first whistle and switch off. Wait till pressure is released and add tadkaa as follows

Tadkaa

• 1 large onion, finely sliced
  
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• pinch of sugar
• 1 tbsp oil

The tadkaa process is the same for all daals. In a wok, heat oil till its very hot. Add the dry whole spices first,till it all splutters, followed by the onions and tomato. Add turmeric, salt and sugar, cover and cook on med heat till the whole mixture is soft and mushy( 2-3 minutes). Now remove pressure cooker lid, using a fork whisk the mixture. At this step add more water if daal is too thick ( this can happen if the raw daal grains are too big) . Add the whisked daal mixture to the taadkaa and bring to boil. Garnish with cilantro.

Moong daal tadkaa

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dry red chilly
  
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1/2 spoon ginger grated
• turmeric, salt and sugar to taste
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
  

Dry roast the daal before washing and cooking it in the pressure cooker. The aroma of the roasted daal and light brown color is a good indicator that it is done. Be careful as daal burns easily. Cook daal for 5 mins longer after the first whistle.Put tadkaa in oil in the same order as explained in the previous daal recipe. Garnish with fresh grated coconut( optional).

Chana dal-Cholaar daal

• 1/ 2 tsp hing
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 bay leaf
  
• 1-2 red chilly
• coconut cut in small pieces
• 1-2 tsp raisin
• 1/2 tsp ginger grated
  
• salt, turmeric and sugar to taste
• garam masala( bengali style)
• 1 tbsp oil
  

Cook daal . After whistle, simmer the gas and cook for 5 mins. To oil add coconut and fry till brown. remove and reserve. Add hing first and then all other dry ingredients. add ginger and finally raisin. This daal is traditionally eaten sweet so add a little more sugar. Now add the cooked daal and fried coconut. If coconut is unavailable, can be cooked without it as well. Finally garnish with 1/2 tsp of garam masala.

Arhar daal tadkaa

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 chopped tomatoes( less if you dont like it sour)
• 2 red chilly
• 1/2 tsp hing
• salt, turmeric & chilly powder to taste
• 1 tbsp oil
  
• 1 tsp ghee
  

Heat oil, add hing, mustard, red chillies and cumin first. Once that splutters, add tomatoes and cook till it is soft. Add other spices and pour cooked daal over it. Bring to boil and add ghee before serving.