Dal

Tur dal on a bed of Basmati rice, with Aloo Gobhi sabzi

For our everyday meals, Ma used to make Tur/Arhar dal. Sometimes plain dal, sometimes Tur dal with Spinach or Khatti Dal (with Gongura leaves). I still do not know what Gongura is called in Bihar or for that matter in Orissa, I just call it Khatti (sour) dal. This recipe is for the simple, no frills Dal. Just tempered with ghee, cumin seeds and dry red chilli, the dish was a gastronomic delight.

1 cup tur dal, picked and washed
2 1/2 cups of water
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
Salt to taste
2 dry red chilli, broken into two
Chopped coriander leaves, to garnish

Pressure cook the dal with 2 1/2 cups of water, turmeric and salt. When the dal is cooked, whisk it once to make the dal mix semi smooth.

In a small pan, heat ghee. When it heats up, add the broken dry red chilli and jeera. When the jeera begins to sizzle, add the tadka to the dal. Mix well, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice. As Rachel Ray would say, Yummo !! :)