Spicy Daal



In this recipe Toor daal is plainly cooked till soft and mushy and then tempered with Indian spices. Toor daal is a staple in all household in India, rich or poor; Dal is prepared everyday in some households and consumed with rice or rotis. It is very healthy and has good amount of protein.
This has become one of my favorites now; this daal is simply delicious and goes well with rotis or rice.
Yesterday I was looking out for a simple Daal tadka recipe, and there were so many pages devoted to Daal tadka. Then when I entered the kitchen to make the dish I tried to experiment with some more ingredients and the result was yummy!



Here’s the list of ingredients

Ingredients:

1 cup Toor daal washed in 2 to 3 changes of water or until the water runs clear.
¼ tsp Turmeric powder

For tempering:

½ tsp Mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds or jeera
½ small onions finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped spinach or fenugreek leaves
4 small garlic flakes slightly crushed (if big flakes then use 2 and chop it roughly)
1 tsp ginger minced
5 green chillies slit vertically
4 curry leaves torn into pieces.
¼ tsp dhania jeera powder (optional)
¼ tsp garam masala powder (optional)
4 tsp cooking Oil
1 tsp ghee
Salt to taste
Few strands of Coriander leaves for garnish
¼ to ½ tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a thick bottomed saucepan cook toor daal in about 2 ½ cups water, add turmeric powder. Cook till it falls apart and is soft & mushy.

2. Add salt and green chillies to the toor daal and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. Now heat 4 tsp cooking oil in a sauté pan. Throw in the mustard seeds and when they start sputtering throw in the cumin seeds and stir for a minute till they sizzle. Add the curry leaves, garlic flakes and ginger & fry further till the garlic is slightly brown.

4. Add the onions, tomatoes and fry both till they become soft. Add the chopped spinach and stir fry till they wilt.Now put in the powders and combine.

5. Finally add the tadka to the cooked toor daal and cover & let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add the Lemon juice and mix well. Also add water if the dal is too thick.

6. To end with drizzle a tsp of ghee and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis.




Comments

Anonymous said…
Just now I served this to my Indian friend, she loved this 'Sambar'..yummy go..