Dal in Gujrati Style

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients

For pressure cooking the dal

• Arhar dal/tuvar dal/pigeon pea lentils- 50 gm
• 2 to 2.5 cups water

Other ingredients

• Tomato chopped (optional)- 50 gm
• 1 or 2 green chilies + ½ inch ginger, crushed in a mortar pestle to a paste or about 1 tsp ginger green chili paste
• ½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder/jeera powder
• ½ tsp red chilli powder/lal mirch powder
• 3 to 4 dried kokums * check notes
• 1.5 to 2 cups water or add as required
• 1.5 to 2 tbsp organic powdered jaggery powder or grated jaggery or add as required
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves/dhania patta
• salt as required

For tempering/tadka:

• 2 tbsp ghee or oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds/rai
• ½ tsp cumin seeds/sabut jeera
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds/sabut methi
• 2 to 3 small dry red chilies or 2 regular to large dry red chili, halved and deseeded or kept whole
• 8 to 10 curry leaves/kadi patta
• a generous pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 3 to 4 cloves/lavang
• 1-inch cinnamon/dalchini

Method

1. First, pick the arhar dal or pigeon pea lentils for stones etc. Then rinse the lentils thoroughly in running water for 4-5 times.
2. Add the rinsed dal in a pressure cooker. add water. Pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes on a medium to high flame.
3. The lentils have to be cooked completely. Mash the dal very well with a wired whisk or with a spoon. The lentils should be mashed very well.
4. Add green chilli-ginger paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander-cumin powder, jaggery, salt, tomato(optional) and kokums. Stir.
5. Add water. stir again and keep the dal back on the stove top.
6. Bring the dal to a simmer on a low flame for 7 to 8 minutes.
7. For the tempering, heat oil or ghee in a small pan. Crackle mustard seeds first and then add cumin.
8. Add the dry red chillies, cloves, cinnamon, curry leaves, asafoetida and fenugreek seeds. Stir and fry for some seconds.
9. Pour this tempering on the simmering dal. switch off the flame.
10. Add coriander leaves. Finally, stir the dal.
11. Serve Gujarati dal with steamed rice.