Simple Daal
The humble daal is a staple throughout the Indian subcontinent in various varieties of recipes and styles of cooking. The tasty lentil soup is delicious as it is fulfilling to eat. A regular choice of vegetarian food lovers, the Daal Tadka is a favourite dish of almost anyone familiar with Indian food. Here is a recipe from the southern state of former Andhra Pradesh.
Ingredients
- Mung daal - 100g
- Onions - 200g
- Tomatoes - 100g
- Potato - 1
- Garlic - 5 cloves
- Red Chilli., dried - 5g
- Tamarind - 5g
- Lime Juice - 5-10ml
- Coriander, fresh - 10-20g
- Curry leaves (Murraya koenigii ) - 10g
- Black Grams - 10g
- Cumin - 10g
- Cloves - 2-5
- Mustard Seeds - 5g
- Turmeric Powder
- Asafoetida - 2g
- Oil - 30ml
Cook Lentils
Add lentils into about 400ml of water and start the heat.
Add chopped onions, tomatoes, potato, garlic and cloves to the pot and boil on medium flame. Add some salt.
Take care of the foaming. Keep stirring to avoid overflow.
Keep on a low flame once the foam starts to appear.
Add tamarind and turmeric when the mixture starts boiling. Boil until the lentils are soft.
Boil daal and vegetables to a soft texture
Use a masher or beater to mix the boiled lentils with vegetables. The mixture must appear smooth and consistent.
Make Tadka
Heat oil on medium flame.
Add black grams, cumin and mustard seeds. Fry for about two minutes, without burning.
Add curry leaves. If the leaves are fresh, the oil will splatter, use a top for safety.
Add dried red chilies and asafoetida and fry.
Keep on low for a minute and turn off the heat. Let it sit warm until ready to be mixed.
Have the seeds and the leaves attain a crispy texture
Mixing
Pour the tadka into lentis. Stir slowly to mix.
Taste the salt and adjust. If you like it thinner, add water before adjusting for salt.
Mix the tadka and daal.
Pour lime juice and give a final stir.
Add fresh coriander and any other garnish you fancy.
Serve
Serve with rice, or roti. Extra lemon and red onion wheels make an excellent addition to the taste.
Daal Tadka goes with many kinds of flat bread and rice
Cite As: Umadi, Ravi (2023). Simple Daal, Retrieved from https://biosonix.io/Simple-Daal