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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Danedar Dal



My "microwave recipe" for today in blogging marathon #7, happens to be a regional dal adapted from 'Gourmet Indian in minutes' cookbook. Check what the other marathoners are cooking.

What tempted me to try this recipe was the beautiful image associated with it. According to the book, this simple, basic dal is a usual fare at Gujarati homes during the festival of Navratri.  It is supposedly a sweet - sour kind dal and the original recipe uses only a green chillie for about 2 cups of dal. If you prefer those flavors to shine, feel free to add tamarind and jaggery accordingly. I modified the recipe a bit to suit our taste buds so that even my daughter who is not a great fan of sweet stuff enjoys it. She ate it without any complaints and that means this recipe is a keeper for me. So far, this is the first moong dal recipe she ate with out uttering a word. For me it is a basic, comforting sort of dal that can be put together quickly. Especially an opt one when you run out of veggies. And surprisingly, the dal didn't have the typical "moong dal" smell. Don't skip the peanuts; they add a contrasting texture to this filling dal.

Ingredients for 2 - 3 servings:
1/2 cup moong dal (skinned, yellow ones) / pesara pappu
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbsp salted peanuts (I used raw ones but toasted ones may be better.)
1 tsp jaggery powder / brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp tamarind puree or to taste
Salt to taste
For tadka: 2 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 green chillies - slit lengthwise, few curry leaves
Cilantro leaves for garnish


Method:
* Soak moong dal in hot water for about 30 minutes. This step is optional but it sure cuts down the cooking time. Throw away the water used to soak and rinse the dal well.
* Add 1.5 cups of water, turmeric powder and the dal to a microwave safe bowl and cook until the dal turns mushy, about 12 - 15 minutes. Remove the bowl.
* Heat oil in another microwave safe bowl and add the tadka ingredients. When they start to splutter, remove the bowl.
* Add the tadka, peanuts, tamarind paste, salt and jaggery powder to the dal bowl and put back in the microwave. Cook for another 2 -3 minutes.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve along with rice / rotis.

This moong dal dish goes to Cook it Healthy - Proteinicious event.

Comments

18 comments:

Saraswathi Ganeshan said...

Delicious..Love have anytime.
SIGNATURE RECIPES & A GIVEAWAY till july 31st 2011

Unknown said...

Absolutely love the pic. I thought gujaratis usually used toor dal, but I could be wrong. I love this version of gujarati dal.

harini-jaya said...

Ilanti kammati pappu, avakaya, rice and yogurt - a simple and comforting meal !! I also love to add peanuts to dals.

Pavani said...

Pappu is looking yummy. I've never made pappu in the microwave. Sounds quite simple.

Prema said...

Delicious version of dal,luks gr8!!!

Lifewithspices said...

This variation of dhal is super yumm ..

Shanavi said...

Delicious dal, great combo for rice/roti's..

Sravs said...

Never tried dal in microwave !! sounds interesting !! and looks delicious !!

Ongoing Event - CC-Roti Pachadi/Chutney

Aarthi said...

this goes perfect with hot rice and even some spicy roast potatos will do..What do you think about that combo

Nitha said...

delicious dal.. one of the most comfort foods..

Taste Melanger said...

The name itself is intriguing me...thanks for sharing!!

Vardhini said...

Love dal anytime. Comforting and tasty.

Vardhini
Event: Fast food not Fat food

Unknown said...

Dal is anytime comforting dish..looks flavourful n yummy with rice

Kalyani said...

this is indeed comforting food !!

Kalyani
New Event: Indian Mithai Mela ending 8th Aug
Ongoing Event : Dish it out- Mushroom and Onions – all this July

chef and her kitchen said...

Nice version of dal....loved d fact that it is made in MW..:)

Srivalli said...

Delicious dal Suma..so good to make this in microwave..

Deepthi Shankar said...

Perfect comfort food

Veena Aravind said...

This recipe is surely a keeper and very simple to make.suma I think,my boys would love this..let me give a try..!!