Sunday, May 30, 2010

A Simple Dal Fry

Pin It Now! Dal at my typical maharashtrian home was called "Varan" and it was simply toor dal cooked with a few minimalist ingredients - turmeric and hing. After adding salt and water it was served on top of hot rice for a comforting "Varan-bhat" that we relish till today.
 Recently I gave a new twist by adding some veggies and fruit. Also went in is a tadka of pure ghee, cumin and a handful of jaggery taking the simple "varan" to a whole new level.
 Here's how I make it :-

 1. Pressure cook 1/4 C toor dal or red lentils with :-
  • pinch of hing
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 chopped apple\mango (optional)
  • 2-3 tbsp chopped vegetables ( I use a mix of carrots,peas,green beans and corn
2.  Make a tadka with 2-3 tbsp ghee. When the ghee is hot add the following:
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1-2 small pieces of green chillies 
3. Mash the toor dal and add water to get desired consistency. Add :-
  • 2 tbsp chopped tomatoes
  • handful of cilantro
  • 1 tbsp chopped jaggery
  • salt to taste
4. Finally add the tadka. Microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes till the jaggery melts.


There you have it. We have this dal with some pickle and rice for a comforting end to a meal.
Sending this dal to Delicious Dals event started by Suma of Veggie Platter. I cannot wait to see the round up here.

2 comments:

Suma Gandlur said...

This is certainly dal fry in a new avatar. :)
Thanks for sending this lovely dal to the event.

Suparna said...

Thank you Suma !