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.

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