Sweet and spicy dal (C)

May 30, 2006 at 7:55 pm (Beans, F (0 stars, dislike), Indian, Website / blog)

This dal is based on a recipe on RecipeZaar chana dal with bell pepper, except I used yellow split peas instead of chana dal and bottle gourd (lauki) rather than the bell pepper.

250	g channa dal (gram dal)
2	tablespoons cooking oil
1	large red bell pepper
1	large tomato
1/2	onion
1	teaspoon turmeric
1	teaspoon garam masala
1/2	teaspoon chili powder
1/2	teaspoon coriander powder
3/4	teaspoon mustard seeds
2-3	dried red chilies
1	bay leaf
2	cloves
1	cinnamon stick
3-5	curry leave
	coriande (optional)
	parsley (optional)
1/4	teaspoon ginger paste
1/4	teaspoon garlic paste

1. Soak chana dal in water for a few hours prior to use.
2. Heat oil and add mustard seeds, bay leaf, cinammon, ginger and garlic pastes, and cloves.
3. Add onions and let it heat till they turn translucent.
4. Add chopped tomato and curry leaves and then the chana dal, making sure to add enough water to cover the dal as it boils.
5. Cook on medium-high heat with a closed lid for 15-20min until the chana dal softens, while continuing to replenish the water now and again as it evaporates (make sure that you add boiling and not cold water).
6. As soon as chana begins to soften, add the sliced capsicum (or diced bottlegourd, if that is your preference).
7. Stir it in well with the chana and continue to cook until both the chana and capsicum (or bottlegourd), have softened sufficiently.
8. Garnish with cilantro.

My Notes

Unfortunately, although the recipe recommended bottle gourd as a substitute, it forgot to mention that the gourd needs to be peeled. I had never cooked with it before so just assumed it was like a zucchini or summer squash…. It isn’t. The peel was really hard and tough, and I had to pick out all the pieces of bottle gourd before I could eat it. Other than that, the recipe seemed okay. Quite untraditional due to the cinnamon making it quite sweet tasting. Like the other dal I just made, the leftovers didn’t move very quickly. Again, I don’t think I’ll be making this recipe again.

Rating: C