Sweet and spicy dal (C)
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 |
- Soak chana dal in water for a few hours prior to use.
- Heat oil and add mustard seeds, bay leaf, cinammon, ginger and garlic pastes, and cloves.
- Add onions and let it heat till they turn translucent.
- Add chopped tomato and curry leaves and then the chana dal, making sure to add enough water to cover the dal as it boils.
- 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).
- As soon as chana begins to soften, add the sliced capsicum (or diced bottlegourd, if that is your preference).
- Stir it in well with the chana and continue to cook until both the chana and capsicum (or bottlegourd), have softened sufficiently.
- 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
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