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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Nepali Dal Bhat

For the second day of BM#56, I am bringing a comfort combo dish from Nepal to the table. Dal, a simple, flavorful lentil dish along with bhat, the cooked rice forms the traditional, everyday meal of Nepal besides being it's national dish. Just as in it's neighboring countries of India and Bangladesh, dal-bhat forms the staple diet of the majority of the people in Nepal. If served along with a vegetable side dish, the dish would be dal-bhath-tarkari, tarkari referring to the vegetables. From an Indian context, I found the dal preparation simple yet flavorful and loved it served along with Basmati rice. The dal preparation varies region wise in Nepal and I found this version more appealing and authentic.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. ghee / oil
3 dried red chilies 
1 big onion, finely chopped
1 or 2  garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. finely grated ginger
1 tsp. crushed coriander seeds
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 cup toordal / yellow lentils (or other colored lentils can be substituted.)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. minced cilantro leaves to garnish

Method:
* Heat ghee / oil in a pan or directly in a pressure cooker, if using the cooker to cook lentils.
* Add chili and saute for few seconds. Then add onion, garlic, ginger and ground coriander and continue to fry on low flame until onion turns translucent.
* Wash lentils in two exchanges of water and drain. Add the rinsed lentils, turmeric and about 2 cups of water to the pan / pressure cooker.
* Cook for 2 - 3 whistles if using pressure cooker. If using a sauce pan, cook until lentils are done, stirring and adding water intermittently as needed.
* Add salt and minced cilantro to the cooked lentils and mix well to combine. (If the pressure cooked dal appears thick, add some water and bring it to a boil.)

Note:
Squeeze and add juice of half a lemon / lime to the dal if desired.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56


20 comments:

cookingwithsapana said...

Nothing can beat this perfect combo.Very nice presentation.

Unknown said...

very comforting and delicious!!! i am going to make this soon!!

Usha said...

Simple yet comforting food! Beautiful pictures.

vaishali sabnani said...

The most comforting meal cooked in Nepali style , super . I am tempted truly, I cooked a similar meal for last mega BM .

Srivalli said...

The presentation is so simple, yet you make them look elegant!..Love this combination..very nicely done suma

Gayathri Kumar said...

I had this in my list but at last minute I opted for some other recipe. Dal looks so colourful..

Harini R said...

I made a different version of the dal and we all loved it. This is a classic comfort food even for us, right?

The Pumpkin Farm said...

i made this for the last BM..this is awesome...and your pan looks beautiful

Unknown said...

This combo is one of fav :) looks so comforting and delicious suma !! wonderful captures too dear !!

Srividhya said...

Mushy and yummy dhal

Kalyani said...

nothing can beat the comfort of this yellow dal and rice.. excellent pics..

and I am going to hunt down those ramekins and serving pan that you have used for rice (are the ramekins available at the mega marts like Crate n Barrel etc ??)

Suma Gandlur said...

Kalyani, are you referring to the ramekins from Sri Lanka curry post? I got them from Target store.

Priya Suresh said...

Fingerlicking goodness, Dal bhat makes me hungry..Would love to have some anytime.

Padmajha said...

Nice presentation and a superb dish as well...

Sandhiya said...

Dal looks delicious and you pictured it beautifully..Love to try it soon..

Archana said...

Ahh! Comfort food at the best. Love it.

Pavani said...

Simple, hearty and delicious dal bhat.

Priya Srinivasan - I Camp in My Kitchen said...

Nothing can beat the joy and the warmth, a simple dal-rice can give!!

Chef Mireille said...

love the creamy texture

Unknown said...

A classic combo but still in my to do list your pictures are so beautiful.