HOME        |        ABOUT        |        COPYRIGHT        |        CONTACT        |         RECIPE INDEX        |         INDIAN THAALIS        |         MILLET RECIPES        |        EVENTS' ROUNDUP        

Friday, May 10, 2019

Brinjal Dalcha

I had made a score of biryani / pulaos and side dishes to go with them, last month for the mega marathon. This dalcha was one of those side dishes that I had made to accompany my Ambur biryani. 'Dalcha' was created in the Hyderabadi Nizams' kitchens and is said to be a modified version of a Persian dried lamb with beans dish. The original dish is of course a non vegetarian version that uses mutton and chana dal / split chickpeas along with the spices to flavor it up. This is a flavorful and simple vegetarian version dalcha made with eggplants / brinjals and pairs well with a biryani / pulao. Eggplants can be replaced with soy chunks or with mixed vegetables.
 
Recipe source: Here
Ingredients:
1/2 cup toor dal / pigeon peas
2 tbsp. chana dal / split chickpeas
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
1 cup water
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. ginger - garlic paste
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 small egg plants, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Salt to taste
Tamarind water to taste
1/2 cup water
Ingredients for tempering:
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/8 tsp. fenugreek seeds
2 dried red chilies, each broken into 2 or 3 pieces
1 stalk of curry leaves
2 pinches of asafoetida

Directions:
* Pressure cook toor dal, chana dal and turmeric adding a cup of water for 3 whistles or until the dal is softly cooked. When the valve pressure is gone, mash the dal well and keep it side.
* Heat oil in a pot / pan and add onion. Fry until translucent and add the ginger - garlic paste. Saute until the raw smell of the paste leaves.
* Next add brinjal slices, tamarind water, chili powder, and cumin powder. Mix well, cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
* Add cooked dal and salt to the pan. Stir and add about 1/2 cup or more of water. Cover and cook until the brinjal pieces are done.
* For tempering, heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, red chilies, and fenugreek seeds. When mustard seeds start to sizzle and pop, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Turn off the stove and add the tempering to the dalcha. 
* Serve warm with biryani / pulao.

bmlogo

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #100 under 'Regional Side Dishes' theme.

Comments

10 comments:

MySpicyKitchen said...

Brinjal dalcha is new to me. It looks good and must be very tasted really good. Non veg dalcha pairs well flavored rice and am sure so did this.

rajani said...

Tamarind and brinjal in dal is new for me.

rajani said...

Must have paired well with biriyani.

Sowmya :) said...

This is a totally new dish for me. It looks awesome and I love the flavour profile. Bookmarking this to try!!

Varada's Kitchen said...

The dal sounds flavorful. Very interesting list of ingredients.

Pavani said...

I am always looking for sides to make with biryani/ pulao - this sounds like the perfect one. Bookmarked to try sometime soon.

Harini R said...

This vegetarian version of eggplant dalcha Sounds very much like vankaya pappu which my mom makes except a few changes. I am sure eggplant lovers will enjoy it.

Kalyani said...

totally new to me and I would love it with some hit chapatis here.. loving this dish, Suma and bookmarking to try !

Srivalli said...

All biryanis are always served with dalcha or brinjal side dish. Nice to know these two are combined..

Gayathri Kumar said...

I haven't tried dalcha personally but I have seen so many fans of the dish. This veg version with brinjal looks fantastic Suma. The biryani and dalcha sounds like an amazing combination.