Mixed Dahl
Ingredients
For dahl
¼ cup tuver dahl
¼ cup chana dahl
¼ cup urad dahl
¼ cup masoor dahl
¼ cup chora dahl
½ cup moong dahl
4 cups water
chopped coriander
For gravy 1 tin tomatoes liquidised
1 medium onion chopped
½tsp garlic paste
½tsp ginger paste
½tsp chilli paste
½tsp chilli powder
½tsp turmeric powder
1tbs coriander and cumin powder
For vaghar 2tbs oil
2 small cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
½tsp mustard seeds
½tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chillies
Pinch of asafoetida
Method
Soak the dahl in hot water for 10 minutes. Wash 4-5 times with hot water and drain. Put the dahl and water in a pressure cooker and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the dahl becomes slightly soft.
Heat the oil for vaghar on a low heat add cloves cinnamon red chillies cumin seed and mustard seed. Heat until the spices start to pop. Add asafoetida.
Add chopped onions and let it cook until golden brown. Add garlic paste chilli paste and tomatoes. When the oil separates from the tomatoes add rest of the gravy ingredients.
Cook for a further five minutes.
Add boiled dahl to the prepared gravy and let it cook for 10 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve piping hot with plain boiled rice or stuffed paratha.
In most savoury Gujarati cooking vaghar is required at some stage. It is important that on whichever ingredients vaghar is being carried out they are cooked on a low heat to prevent them getting soggy and to retain their freshness
Dhal vada
Ingredients
For lentil fritters
2 cups urad dahl (without skin)
½tsp black pepper
½tsp ginger paste
½tsp green chilli paste
Salt to taste
Oil for deep-frying
For serving 4 cups of yogurt
½tsp cumin powder
½tsp black pepper
½tsp red chilli powder
2 chopped green chillies
Fresh coriander chopped
½ cup tamarind sauce
Salt and sugar to taste
Method
Soak the urad dahl in water for at least 8-10 hours. Rinse and drain. Grind to a smooth paste. If necessary add a little water. Add the rest of the ingredients for the fritters and mix.
Heat the oil for deep-frying. Drop in a teaspoonful of the paste. Fry to golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Continue with the rest of the paste.
In a bowl add warm water dip the fried fritters and leave for two minutes. Remove and squeeze the water and arrange on a serving plate.
Add salt cumin powder green chillies and sugarto the yogurt. Mix well.
Ten minutes before serving pour the spiced yogurt over the fritters.
At the time of serving spoon over a little tamarind sauce sprinkle with cumin powder and chilli powder.
Garnish with coriander.
