This is just a regular Hyderabadi khatti dal, but with added sprouts. It gives it an extra texture and taste that we find very satisfying. Added vegetables have a way of filling the gap if there is no side vegetable dish.
Wash dal in a saucepan, at least, 20 minutes before cooking. Meanwhile, cut a slice of stem from each sprout to give a clean base but don't cut it completely. Remove tough leaves if any. Cut in half, lengthwise and wash well in a colander. Set them aside.
Drain, and add enough fresh water to cover dal.
Add ginger/garlic paste, chili powder, and turmeric powder, and bring it to rolling boil. Cover and simmer until lentils are mushy and soft.
Use an immersion blender, or blender you have, to blend to a very smooth consistency. Add 1½ cup water. Dal should not be thick or pasty, but should have a pouring consistency.
Return to the saucepan, add prepared sprouts, curry leaves, green chilies, and bring it back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sprouts are fork tender.
Add salt, and lemon juice and stir to mix. let it simmer for a few more minutes.
Transfer to a serving bowl, and sprinkle chopped cilantro over it.
Tadka (Baghar)
In a small saucepan, heat oil and add cumin seeds to it.
When cumin seeds turn brown, add sliced garlic and dried red chilies and let them get dark brown.
Pour hot oil, with all its spices over the prepared dal to serve.
Indian food, and especially vegetarian recipes are at the height of popularity. Although meat is considered and desired as a quintessential ingredient amongst non-vegetarians, It is renounced and rejected by the vegetarian population globally, and especially by vegetarians in India who follow a strict vegetarian diet for centuries. Now there is a branch which calls itself vegans. Though the difference between the vegetarians and vegans seem a little murky, vegetarians don’t eat animal meat, but they eat animal products such as milk, dairy, and eggs. Whereas vegans stringently stay away from both animals and animal products, because of their health concerns, and moral concerns of harming animals.
At one time vegetarian dishes in India were for everyone, whereas meat, poultry, fish, milk, cream and butter was enjoyed by non-vegetarians. But with the shrinking of the globe through international travel and advances in communications, foodies have developed an appetite for a variety in food, and vegetarian dishes claimed a large share of that. There is a delicious, and amazing array of vegetarian dishes that have gained popularity world over.
Lot of vegetarian dishes are flavored with herbs and spices. Herbs are used for their green parts, leaves and stalks, and are used freshly chopped either as one of the ingredients, or as fresh garnish which is inviting and appetizing with their vibrant colors and texture. Some of the commonly used herbs in Indian cooking are cilantro (both cilantro and coriander seeds come from the same plant. Cilantro is the name for leaves and stems, and coriander is the name for dried seeds), mint, and dill to name a few. Most commonly used spices are coriander, cumin, mustard, nigella seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and many more.
As you see, there is a whole spectrum of spices to choose from to make immense variety of dishes from all different regions of India. Indian cuisine also has a flavor base like the French mirepoix, Spanish sofrito, and Cajun trinity. mirepoix is a French flavor base made with onion, celery, and carrots diced and cooked in oil and butter until it turns to mush which imparts deliciousness to the planned dish. When it is ready, vegetables for the final dish are added and cooked with needed seasoning and garnishing. The same principle is applied to Cajun, and Spanish flavor bases only with some differences in combinations of aromatic vegetables.
Indian flavor base works on the same principle but I am not sure if there is a name for it but all my life I have heard it referred to it as a handi. which meant that diced onions, ginger and garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, and oil or ghee are slow cooked in a covered pot until very soft. This base is then used to make a variety of vegetarian dishes such as curried potatoes, beans, eggplant, okra and many other desired side dishes. You can also add tomatoes to the base ingredients to make it more saucy and tangy. As in any kitchen, in my kitchen, I use a lot of twists by adding and removing ingredients to develop recipes and turning cooking from a chore to a passion. This way my food is more appealing, interesting, and exciting for me, and I get more ahhh’s than meh’s for my effort.
A wise chef once surmised that only a few handful of recipes exist in the world-all else is simply a derivative of a “mother” recipe.
Many use this same base to create recipes with meat and vegetable combinations, mixture of different vegetables, lentils and vegetables, and the possibilities are endless. My next post curried potato recipe which is created with this mother of all recipes, a simple, balanced flavor base and is hugely popular with young and old alike.
1tablespoonginger/garlic pasteavailable in Indian stores
1 cup water
1 teaspoon saltseason to taste
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
For Tempering:
2tablespoonsvegetable oil, or any oil on hand
1teaspooncumin seeds
½teaspoon asafetida
1teaspoon coriander seedswell crushed
4 dried red chiliescut in halves
1roma tomato or any small tomatochopped finely
Equipment
pressure cookeer, any heavy saucepan,
Method
Wash and soak mixture of all the lentils in boiling water for (at least) 15 minutes.
Wash again and add fresh cold water, chili powder, turmeric powder, and ginger/garlic paste. Cover and cook until very soft. If using pressure cooker, use the direction for its use. If using a regular saucepan, cook until very soft. It takes 30 to 35 minutes or until it gets really soft. Since it is a mixture of different types of lentils, thet require different cooking time; therefore, it is important to check the doneness of all the lentils.
Remove from heat and use a potato masher to mash it well, dont blend because it should have a coarse texture, but very slightly coarse, for an authentic finish. Add one cup water, or enough water for a desired consistency (this dish requires a thicker consistency).
Return to medium heat and add salt, and unsalted butter and bring it back to a boil and to let the butter melt.
Season to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan, heat oil and add cumin seeds and brown them. Add asafetida, crushed coriander seeds, and red chilies and cook until red chilies are dark in color.
Add crushed tomatoes and cook on low heat until tomatoes are cooked down and oil starts to separate on the sides.
Transfer prepared daal to a nice serving bowl. Pour the prepared spicy oil over the daal and stir gently.
Serve with white rice, naan, or Indian breads (roties).
Hyderabadi Khatti daal is the most popular daal made with masoor daal. It owes its popularity to a tangy, and slightly salty taste. When served hot (what we call 'garam, garam') with white rice and ghee( clarified butter), as a side, it is an exotic treat. For many millions in India this daal is a staple. It is eaten in quantities with rice or roti (Indian bread) and it constitutes a popular options for any meal. Also for many a households, rich or poor alike, it is a menu item almost everyday of the week. For us it is a regular lunch item. This iconic daal, while it is a cinch to make, it is extremely affordable. Here is a recipe for khatti daal which can also be made in several different varieties by adding vegetables of your choice to it. I will dedicate some of my future posts to share various recipes with or without vegetables from different parts of India.
Wash and drain dal and put in a pressure cooker, or a regular heavy saucepan.
Add enough water to cover daal, and add chili powder, turmertic ginger/garlic paste,and salt.
Cover and cook until very soft. If using pressure cooker, use the direction for its use. if using a regular saucepan, cook until very soft. It takes 15 to 20 minutes or until it gets really soft, especially masoor daal is very quick to cook.
Cooked daal is very soft, use blender or immersion blender to blend to a smooth gravy by adding 1½ cup water. sometime you will need more or less water. Use your judgment and personal preference as to how thin or thick you want daal to be( there should be a line between thin and thick, this daal when served has gravy somewhere between very thin and very thick) . A few tries, and tasting will make you an expert on that (remember, practice makes perfect!).
Add curry leaves, green chilies, and a few cilantro leaves, and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
Add lemon juice. Add lemon juice in installments to prevent it from getting too sour. If not sour enough for your taste, you can always add a little more. Everyone's palate is different, and is developed for slight nuances in food. The key is to check frequently for your own taste, when you are adding seasoning. Lemon is a must addition in this dish.(My mother always told me to add a hint of lemon juice to almost every dish, sweet or savory. She said that it changes the whole flavor profile.) Let daal simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small saucepan.. Add cumin seeds to the hot oil and let them brown slightly, followed by dried red chili. Shake or stir the pan to get them evenly browned. There is a very thin line between browning and burning. So baby-sit the process.
Once the oil is ready, Transfer the simmering daal into an appropriate sized serving bowl, and pour the spiced oil over the daal. Gently mix and serve with white rice or any combination of vegetarian or non-vegetarian meal. Enjoy!
Red Lentils curried(meethi, sweet, Dal) with Caramelized Onions
This lentil dish with very few ingredients is a delicacy. Although part of the name translates to sweet but no sugar is added. Since there is no sour ingredient, such as tomato, lemon, or tamarind hence the name. It should be light, fluffy, creamy, rich and decadent topped with caramelized onion which largely contributes to its sweetness. It is extremely popular because of its finger licking good taste and its versatility. It can be served with any Indian meal combos, and also enjoyed when served on its own with rice or roties (Indian bread).
1cup red lentil, washed well and soaked in enough water for 20 minutes.
1cupor enough water to barely cover the lentil.
½teaspoon turmeric powder
½teaspoon ginger/garlic pasteall Indian stores have the product. you can also mince fresh ginger and garlic in equal amount
1 teaspoonlevel spoon salt
Garnish
1 smallonion, very finely sliced
4tablespoonsolive oi
3 to 4smallgreen chilies, coarsely cut
1tablespoonfresh cilnatro, finely chopped
Method
Main recipe:
In a bowl, wash well and soak lentils for 20 to 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, add washed and drained lentils into a saucpan, add water to barely cover lentils.
Add turmeric powder, and ginger/garlic paste and stir to mix.
Cook on medium heat until lentils are tender. Red lentil cooks very fast.
Remove from heat when soft, season to taste with salt, and transfer to a blender, or use an immersion blender to puree it. If too thick, add some water to loosen it without making it watery. Should not be watery.
If using a blender, return to the suacepan and bring it back to a quick boil. Lower heat and simmer until it is rich and creamy. Stir a few times making sure to get the desired consistency. Transfer to serving bowl.
Garnish:
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, Heat oil, add sliced onion and fry stirring until it is caramelized. You shoud stay with it lest it burns. There is a fine line between it being brown and being burnt.
Top the prepared dal mixture evenly with coarsely cut green chilies, and chopped cilantro.
Pour the caramelized onion with all its oil on top of herb garnish.
Serve as a side dish with any meal. It is extremely versatile.
