Tag: Lentils

Masur Dal with onion and garlic (Split red lentil with onion and garlic)

Masur dal can be cooked in many ways. This is a special recipe for Masur Dal or Split Red Lentil and was given to me by my mother. She had learnt it from her mother. Dals are made in most Indian homes but each home has their own way of seasoning and Tempering.

Generally there are 3 steps in cooking Dal :

  1. Wash and cook the dal in a pressure cooker or a pan till the grains a soft.
  2. Add the seasoning, like salt, sugar, chillies or any other spices to this cooked dal
  3. Temper the dal, by adding some fried spices to the Dal. Tempering is called Tarka in Hindi and Phoron in Bengali.

How to make this Dal

First we cook the Masur Dal with some water and onions, garlic and the cinnamon, cloves and, in the pressure cooker. If you do not have a pressure cooker then cook it in a saucepan. If you use a saucepan then do check often that the water does not dry out. You could add some more water if needed. The consistency of the end product will be like a thick soup.

Masur Dal ( Red Lentil).

This is what the Dal looks like before it is cooked. This has to be washed and then cooked with some water and spices.

Chopped garlic, and ginger and sliced onions and cinnamon broken into pieces, and cloves are added to the washed and cleaned Masur dal and then cooked with enough water in a pressure cooker or in a saucepan

After the Masur dal is cooked in the pressure cooker it will look like this.

Now add Sugar, Turmeric, salt and Slit green chilies (optional) to the cooked dal and let it simmer for a few minutes. Taste to see that the seasoning is right.

This is now ready for tempering.

Tempering is frying some spices in oil or ghee and then adding it to the boiled Dal. It makes a huge difference in the flavouring and taste of the Dal.

These are the spices that we use for tempering this Dal. whole Jeera seeds, some cinnamon pieces, some cardamom and dry red chilli. Always tear or slit the whole red chilli before adding it to hot oil or it may burst and splatter all over. Same with adding cardamoms, open them up a little before adding them to hot oil.

Tempering

There are 2 ways to temper,

  1. Heat the oil or ghee, add the spices, fry a little and then add the boiled and Dal to it . OR
  2. Heat the oil, fry the spices and pour the hot oil and spices onto the Boiled Dal.

I usually temper the second way, by pouring the oil and spices onto the dal.

After Tempering the dal it has to be simmered for a few minutes so that the flavours get incorporated well .

The Masur Dal is now ready to be served. You can garnish with chopped Cilantro ( Dhania Patta).

Serve hot with Roti or Rice.

The Recipe

Ingredients

  • Masur Dal (red lentil) 1/2 cup
  • Onion (Piyaj ) peeled and sliced. 1/2 cup
  • Garlic ( Lasun). peeled and chopped 1 teaspoon
  • Ginger ( adrak)peeled and chopped 1teaspoon
  • Cinnamon ( Dalchini) 2inch broken into pieces
  • Cloves ( Laung) 6
  • Sugar ( Chini ) 1/2 teaspoon
  • Salt ( Namak)1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder ( Haldi ) 1/4 tsp
  • Green chilies ( hari mirch )slit 2 or 3
  • Water ( Paani ) 2cups

Spices for tempering ( Tardka )

  • Ghee 1 tablespoon
  • Cinnamon ( Dalchini ) 1 inch piece broken into smaller pieces
  • Cardamom.( Elaichi ) 6
  • Dry red chilli ( Shukha mirch ). 1
  • Cumin seeds ( Jeera) 1/4 teaspoon

Method

  1. Wash the Masur Dal ( Red Lentil ) well, and put it into Pressure cooker, add the sliced onions, the chopped ginger and garlic, and the cinnamon pieces, and cloves. Add the 2 cups of water and close the lid. Place the cooker on the stove. Once it whistles, start counting till it whistles 4 times more, then switch off the stove.
  2. Open the pressure cooker lid after the cooker has cooled, then add salt, sugar, turmeric, and slit green chilies to the cooked dal and place the cooker on the stove again, without the lid. Let the dal simmer for 5 minutes, stir a few times.
  3. Now it is ready for Tempering ( Tarka, or Phoron ):
  • Heat the ghee in a small saucepan or frying pan, add the Cinnamon pieces, Red chilli and cardamoms and the jeera seeds. Let the spices brown a little, then pour in onto the simmering dal in the cooker and let it simmer for another 5 minutes, before taking it off the heat.
  • OR
  • The other way is to heat a wok or a big saucepan and add Ghee, and Cinnamon pieces, and cardamom and the Jeera seeds, and Red chilli. Once the spices brown a little, pour the dal from the cooker to the Wok, then let it simmer for 5 minutes more before taking it off the heat.

Garnish with chopped Coriander leaves ( Dhania Patta) before serving. if You add a spoonful of Ghee when you eat the dal it will definitely taste better.

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Cholar Dal: A Traditional Bengali Delight

When I was very young, I remember helping my mother sometimes with the cooking. We would make Rotis or prepare a salad together. The first thing I learnt to cook on my own was when I was 12, and it wasCholar dal. It has been many years since I was 12. I have improved on the recipe. The recipe below is an improved version of the one I had made the first time.

Cholar Dal is a sweet and spicy dal. It is garnished with small pieces of fresh coconut. It is usuallyserved with Loochi ( Poori), or Parata or Roti.

Ingredients

  • Cholar Dal ( Split Chick Peas) 1 cup
  • Water 1 cup + 1/2 cups more
  • Salt 1 teaspoon
  • Sugar 1 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon oe less
  • Green Chili slit 2

Seasoning or Tarka

  • Ginger ground or finely grated 1 teaspoon
  • Dry red Chili. 1
  • Ghee 1 Tablespoon
  • Cloves 4
  • Cardamom 6
  • Cinnamon 1 inch stick broken into pieces
  • Bay leaf or Tej patta 1
  • Paanch Phoron* 1/2 teaspoon.
  • For Garnish 1/2 cup of Fresh coconut which has been cut into small pieces.

* To make Paanch Phoron or Five Spice mix : in a small bowl mix 1tsp of Jire /Jeera (Cumin Seeds), 1 teaspoon of Kalo Jire / Kalongi (Nigella Seeds,) 1 teaspoon of Mouri / Saunf (Fennel seeds,) 1 teaspoon of Radhuni( Celery seeds ) and 1/2 teaspoon of Meethi (fenugreek seeds). mix well . Use 1/2 teaspoon for this recipe and store the rest for another time)

Method

Wash the Cholar dal well 2 or 3 times. Then put it in a pressure cooker with 1 cup of water. Cook it for at least 5 minutes from the first whistle. If you do not have a pressure you can boil the Dal in a saucepan. In this case you need to soak the dal for at least an hour before boiling it.

When the cooker cools down open the lid and check to see if the dal is cooked as desired. It should be soft so that it can be mashed with a ladle, but the grains should hold its shape.

Add 1 tsp.salt, 1tsp.sugar, and 1/2 tsp.Turmeric powder. Add the 2 green chilies (optional) and 1/2 cup water if needed.

Let it simmer for a while, about 4 or 5 minutes.

Now we have to give Tadka (Phoron) to the dal or season the Dal . there are 2 ways of doing that.

  1. In a small pan or Kadai  heat the 1 tablespoon Ghee. Add 1 Bay leaf, 1/2 tsp. Panch Phoron, 4 Cloves, 6 Cardamoms ,1 red Chili, and pieces of Cinnamon. Then add the 1 tsp.grated ginger. (It will splutter so be careful). Once you get the aroma of cloves and other spices add this seasoning to the dal.
  2. Heat a kadai or a sauce pan big enough to hold the Dal. Add the 1 tablespoon of ghee. When it is hot, add 1 tej patta (Bay leaf). Then add 1 red chilli, 4 Cloves, 6 Cardamoms, and Cinnamon pieces. Next add the 1/2 tsp.Paanch phoron . Lastly the grated or 1tsp. ground Ginger (the ginger will splatter so be careful). pour the Dal in the cooker into the Kadai or saucepan with the seasoning or Tadka.

Simmer for another 2 or 3 minutes. Taste to see if salt is enough.

Heat some oil or Ghee in a pan. Add the coconut pieces and saute them. Then add them to the Cholar Dal.

This Dal is a rather thick, and tastes sweet and spicy and the coconut pieces add crunch. It goes best with Rotis, Parathas and Puris.

Homestyle Bengali Cholar Dal with Coconut & Ghee Tadka

Bengali Cholar Dal (Sweet & Spicy Split Chickpea Dal)

  • Servings: 4–6
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Rating: ★★★★★
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A traditional Bengali cholar dal that is mildly sweet, gently spiced, and finished with coconut and aromatic ghee tempering.


Cholar Dal is a sweet and spicy Bengali dal traditionally served with luchi (poori), paratha, or roti. This is an improved version of the recipe I first cooked when I was 12 years old. The dal should be soft enough to mash slightly while the grains still hold their shape. Fresh coconut adds the final authentic touch.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cholar dal (split chickpeas)
  • 1 ½ cups water (plus more if needed)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder (or less)
  • 2 green chilies, slit (optional)

For Tadka (Tempering):

  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
  • ½ tsp paanch phoron
  • 4 cloves
  • 6 green cardamoms
  • 1-inch cinnamon stick, broken
  • 1 dry red chili
  • 1 tsp grated or ground ginger

For Garnish:

  • ½ cup fresh coconut, cut into small pieces

Directions

  1. Wash the cholar dal 2–3 times and add it to a pressure cooker with 1 cup of water.
  2. Pressure cook for about 5 minutes after the first whistle. (If cooking in a saucepan, soak the dal for at least 1 hour and boil until soft.)
  3. Once the cooker cools, open the lid and check the dal. It should be soft but still hold its shape.
  4. Add salt, sugar, turmeric powder, green chilies, and up to ½ cup water if needed.
  5. Let the dal simmer for 4–5 minutes.

Method 1 (Separate Tadka):

  1. Heat ghee in a small pan. Add bay leaf, paanch phoron, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and dry red chili.
  2. Add grated ginger carefully (it will splutter).
  3. Pour the seasoning over the dal.

Method 2 (One-Pot Method):

  1. Heat ghee in a kadai or saucepan.
  2. Add bay leaf, dry red chili, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.
  3. Add paanch phoron, then grated ginger carefully.
  4. Pour the cooked dal into the pan with the seasoning.
  5. Simmer for 2–3 minutes and adjust salt to taste.
  6. In a separate pan, heat a little ghee or oil and lightly sauté the coconut pieces.
  7. Add the coconut to the dal, mix gently, and serve hot.

Nutrition


Per serving (approx.): 260 calories, 10g fat, 32g carbs, 11g protein

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