Spicy Nights (II)

Mixed Dal (chana, toor and moong) with Rice, originally uploaded by Lisa Fagg.

This was my first attempt to try mixing different lentils. I chose chana dal, toor dal and moong dal for this. The addition of green chillis, tomatoes and curry leaves helped make this a very tasty treat!

MIXED DAL

Ingredients:

1/3 cup moong dal
1/3 cup toor dal
1/3 cup chana dal
½ tsp Cumin Seeds
a pinch of Asafetida
1 large onion, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
2 tsp ginger pulp
2 green chilies, chopped
20 curry leaves
½ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp red chilli powder
Fresh coriander leaves for garnish
3-1/2 cup water (or enough to cover the lentils to a depth of 3 cm)
ghee, oil or a mixture of both, to fry
Salt to taste

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dals and wash and soak in water for about an hour. Drain and rinse until the water runs clear.
2. Add the mixed dals to a pan of salted water, to a depth of 3cm, and bring to the boil.
3. When frothy foam appears on the surface, remove by skimming the surface with a slotted spoon, then add the turmeric.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil/ghee in a separate frying pan until hot and add asafetida and cumin seeds. When the seeds begin to pop, add the onions, garlic, curry leaves and chopped green chilli. Fry this mixture for 3 min or until the onions take on colour and have softened a bit.
4. Add tomatoes and fry for about 5 min to soften. Next, add the red chilli powder.
5. When softened, add this mixture to the dal, cover and cook on a low flame until the dal is softened and is ready to eat.

Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve.