Dal Fry

I tried this recipe as a trial for the Diwali dinner I'm hosting this year. It turned out Ummmmm Yummm - very flavorful with the right tangy hint. My husband and I scraped it to the last bit in the pan.!

Image: Coming soon

Preparation time: 25 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Difficulty level: easy
Source: tadka (seasoning) from vegrecipesofindia.com with my own modification to it

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

Tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils) - 1 cup

Water - 4 cups

Oil - 2-3 tblsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Onion, finely chopped - 3/4 large onion (or 1 medium sized)

Tomato, diced - 1 (medium sized)

Green chilies - 1-2

Dry red chilies - 2-3

Curry leaves - 8-9

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Asafoetida powder (hing) - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves): 1 tsp

Lemon - 1 (medium sized)

Fresh coriander leaves - to garnish

Salt - to taste

Procedure:

Pressure cook lentils in 3 cups of water with a pinch of turmeric powder. It takes about 10-15 min on medium heat (5-6 cooker whistles). Mash the lentils to a complete pasty consistency. Keep aside. In another pan, heat oil, add mustard and cumin seeds. Once they sputter, add onions and fry them till they turn translucent. Then add ginger and garlic pastes and fry until the raw aroma goes away. Add the green chilies, red chilies and curry leaves and fry for a bit. Then add turmeric powder, red chilly powder and hing. Fry for half a minute before you mix in the diced tomato. Cook until tomato softens (for about 4-5 min). Now add mashed lentils to the pot. Add 1 cup of water and salt; stir well and bring to boil for half a minute (it should be of semi-liquid consistency). Add crushed kasuri methi and lemon juice. Simmer for a minute and turn off heat. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti/naan/rice. It also tastes great with pulav and vegetable biryani.