Slow Cooked Maa ki Daal/Black Urad Daal in an Earthen Pot

Saturdays are usually considered to be a not so auspicious day for anything new or good beginning in your life as per Hindu customs. This day God Shani is worshipped by many and it is advised to include something black in your meals and in your dressing to keep him pleased. While my life's most beautiful beginning, my baby, came on a Saturday, I do not actually follow this rule, but for a change I decided to go especially for a Maa ki Daal or Black Urad Daal recipe on a recent weekend to inaugurate my newly procured matki/earthen pot from India. The daal was cooked in the matki from start to finish on a steady low flame and the taste that evolved was simply amazing!! One full matki of daal was polished off neatly by the two of us in just one meal! If you have access to such pots, I would highly recommend you to go get one and try cooking in it. You are sure to love the change in flavors....trust me!!

Ingredients

1 cup black urad daal soaked overnight

1 medium onion chopped

1" piece ginger choped

2-3 big fat cloves of garlic chopped

1 big tomato chopped

2-3 green chillies chopped (add as per taste)

1 tsp fenugreek/methi seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp garam masala powder (add a little more towards the end)

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp red chilli powder 

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1-2 whole red chillies

A big pinch of heeng/asafoetida

Salt to taste

2 tsp oil

Direction

Wash and soak the daal overnight. In the morning, rinse it thoroughly and put it in the clay pot. Now add the chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric, garam masala powder, green chillies, fenugreek seeds, and water sufficient enough for the daal. Place the clay pot on the gas stove and put it on medium high. Once the first boil comes, reduce the flame to minimum, cover the top and let the daal cook till done. Keep stirring every 30 minutes or so and about every 10 minutes towards the end to avoid sticking. Be careful that the water does not boil over the top and keep adding additional warm/hot water whenever needed. Overnight soaked daal takes about 2 hours to get cooked in this method. So if you are serving for lunch, you should start the process first thing in the morning and let it cook at its own pace. 

Once the daal is almost done (about 30 minutes before the finishing line), add the milk and stir and cook till done. Now heat oil in a pan and crackle the cumin seeds. Add chilli powder, whole red chillies, and heeng and swirl for a few seconds. Add this to the daal and keep covered until served. One word of caution while using the clay pot after the cooking is done is to either let it remain on the gas stove till completely cooled down or keep it on a stand or jute mat till completely cool it comfortable to the touch. Keeping it directly on the kitchen counter might result in cracks or breakage and spoil the entire dish. 

Once cooled, you can transfer it to your desired serving bowl or serve it directly from the matka! Enjoy with hot steamed rice and/or chapati!

 

Panchratna Daal

It was in 2012 when I first tasted this daal and was completely blown away. The taste of five super nutritious lentils mixed together makes this daal the most delicious of all and will make you keep coming back for more. A sure hit with your family and friends.

                                    

Ingredients

1 cup mixed daal (I used storebought mix; in case you don't have, use equal quantity of split bengal gram, split green gram, split black gram, split pigeon pea, and split red lentil)

1 big onion chopped

1 medium tomato chopped

1" piece ginger finely chopped

2 green chillies chopped

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 + 1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

For tempering

1/2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 whole red chilli

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp coriander leaves chopped

2-3 lime leaves or 1 tsp lime juice (i prefer using lime leaves as the flavor is superb and remains intact)

Direction

Wash and soak the daals for 1 hour. Now, in a pressure cooker add the washed and soaked daals, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, and salt and water till about 1" above the daals. Cook for 4-5 whistles. Remove from heat and let the pressure release on its own. 

In a pan, heat the oil and fry the onions till  translucent. Now add the chopped ginger and tomatoes and cook till soft. Add the dry spices and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the boiled daal and stir. Check for seasoning and transfer to a serving bowl. 

In another small pan, heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Let them splutter and then add the whole red chilli. Once it puffs up, add the chopped garlic, coriander leaves and lime leaves. If using lime juice, add it just before removing from heat. Once the garlic starts browning, pour the tempering on the daal and cover immediately. Keep covered until served. Serve hot with plain rice or roti.

                                      

Srilankan Style Masoor Daal

So today's recipe with no onion and no garlic is a simple daal from the peninsular country of Sri Lanka. It is extremely simple to prepare and very delicious, especially in the scorching summer heat. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup masoor daal (red lentils)

2 green chillies

2 whole red chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp heeng

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 cup coconut milk

Juice of 1 big lemon or 2 small

2-3 lime leaves (optional but highly recommended for increased flavor)

1 tbsp oil

Direction

Wash and boil the daal with salt and green chillies until done. In a pan, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds, red chillies, and heeng. Now add the boiled daal and the chilli powder and turmeric powder. Bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and add the coconut milk and mix. Put it back on flame and add the lime juice while still stirring. Check the tanginess and adjust accordingly. Add the lime leaves if using and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice.

                                       

Masala Mix Daal

The regular daal can be quite boring at times and especially if you need to make the same daals everyday with the same spicing and technique. Although there is not much that you can do with daals, there are definitely new ideas to experiment with and make this otherwise boring dish a bit more interesting and delicious. While there are many people who like their daal and cannot do without it for any meal, I do not hold a very strong liking for it and so try and experiment around it to make it more inviting. So here is one of my recent experiments with daal and I can assure you of pleasing compliments after the meal. Serve the daal with some freshly chopped onions and enhance the taste further.

Ingredients

1/4 cup masoor daal

1/4 cup toor daal

1/4 cup yellow moong daal

1 medium onion finely chopped

4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved (you can substitute this with regular 1 tomato chopped)

1 tbsp garlic-ginger grated

1 sprig fresh coriander, chopped

2 each of cardamom and cloves

1 bay leaf

1 1-inch piece cinnamon

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp mustard seeds  

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 slit green chillies

A pinch of hing

1 tbsp tadka masala (ingredients given below)

Freshly chopped onions for serving

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil or ghee

1/4 cup milk

For the tadka masala

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp mace powder

1/2 inch cinnamon

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

Directions

Wash the daals together. In a pressure cooker, take the washed daals, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and green chillies. Pour water until just about 1 inch above the daal. Add salt and turmeric and pressure cook until done (took me 4 whistles on high and 1 on low). The daal should be cooked through so that the individual daals are not noticeable. So pressure cook accordingly. 

Meanwhile, dry roast the ingredients under tadka masala and grind to a smooth powder. Keep aside.

In a pan, heat the oil or ghee and splutter the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Add the onions and fry till translucent. Now add the ginger and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue frying until soft. Put the tadka masala and fry for few more minutes until just mixed well and oil starts coming out. Now add the hing and within a minute, add the boiled daal and stir. With the back of the laddle, gently press down on the daal to mash it further. Bring the daal to a boil adding about 1/2 cup of water, in case the daal has got too thick. Now add the milk on a low flame and stir well. Lastly, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with roti/rice and freshly cut onions.

                                     

    

Lucknowi Daal

When I first saw this recipe on a friend's blog, I had this "eew" feeling which was because of one ingredient which goes into its making. Milk! I could not imagine the taste of daal with milk and hence decided to give it a miss. However, on second thoughts considering the reputation that my friend has as a food blogger, I thought of giving it a try nevertheless. The result was as expected from most of her recipes. Awesome! So here's sharing with you the recipe of the daal with a "twist".

Ingredients

1 cup toor daal

4-5 cloves garlic chopped

2-3 green chillies chopped

1 tbsp ghee

2-3 kashmiri whole chilli

1 tsp cumin seeds

3/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp heeng/asafoetida

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Direction

Boil the daal with salt, turmeric, and green chillies in a pressure cooker until done. Pour the cooked daal onto a heavy bottomed pan and let it simmer. In another pan, heat the ghee and splutter the cumin seeds. Now add the chopped garlic and whole red chillies. Fry for 2-3 minutes and just before putting off the flame, add the heeng. Immediately pour this tadka over the bubbling daal and cover for a minute or two to lock the aroma. Now add the milk and stir. Adding the milk adds a different taste and texture to the daal that you will love and won't regret. Bring the daal to one final boil and remove from heat. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice/roti.

                     

Dhaba Style Dal Tadka

Highways and dhabas in India are like two sides of the same coin. Inseparable! Talking of dhabas, there is one dish you cannot miss and which you keep yearning for. The special black gram dal, popularly known as dhaba daal, and hot tandoori rotis fresh from the tandoor. With a plate of chicken fry and freshly cut onions to go with it, your soul is satisfied and your journey even more enjoyable. 

Ingredients

1 cup black gram dal/urad dal

1/2 + 1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

For the tadka powder

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp mace powder

1/2 inch cinnamon

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

For the tempering

1 medium onion chopped

1 medium tomato chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 slit green chilli

2 tsp tadka powder

Coriander leaves for garnishing

1 tbsp oil

Direction

Wash and soak the dal overnight. In a cooker, pressure cook the dal with a little salt and turmeric until done. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In a pan, dry roast all the ingredients listed under tadka powder. Cool and grind to a fine powder. Keep aside.

In another pan, heat oil and splutter the cumin seeds. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for sometime.  Now add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, green chilli, tomato puree, and tadka powder. Fry everything together till oil separates. Now add the boiled dal and bring to a boil. Adjust the seasoning and add a little water if it is too thick. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with tandoori roti/naan.