Green-gram dal curried sauce

We eat one dal (pulses) dish almost every day. Here is an earthy dal preparation using green-gram dal and brinjals. You may also choose any other vegetables that you may have handy, viz., cabbage, french beans, ridge gourd, snake gourd, potatoes, etc., with this recipe.

Green-gram dal curried sauce recipe

Ingredients:
Green-gram dal – 2 cups
Vegetable – 2 cups, cut into small pieces (anyone of these – brinjal, cabbage, french beans, ridge gourd, snake gourd, potatoes, etc.); we used brinjal at this time
Onions – 3, medium size, finely chopped
Garlic – 3-4 beads, finely sliced/chopped
Green chillies – 3, medium size, medium hot, slit at the stalk’s end half way
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Coconut – 2 tablespoon, fresh scrapings
Tamarind extract – 1 tablespoon (optional – you may omit tamarind if you prefer a bland taste, also you may wish to add finely tomatoes instead)
Oil – 1+1 teaspoons
Ghee – 2 teaspoons
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds – ¼ seeds
Dried red chillies – 2, broken into halves
Curry leaves – a sprig, fresh

Method: Heat a fry pan and pour in 2 teaspoons of ghee. When the ghee is hot, add the green-gram dal and fry it in low heat to a light brown color. Remove the dal from heat and add it to 3 cupsful of boiling water in a vessel along with the turmeric powder, one teaspoon oil, onion, garlic, and green chillies. Cover and cook over moderate heat. When the dal is three-fourths boiled, add the vegetables and salt. When the vegebables are tender, add the tamarind extract. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the raw taste of tamarind disappears and the sauce is of required thick consistency. Remove from heat and keep it aside. Heat a frying pan and pour in the remaining one teaspoon of oil. When the oil is smoking hot, add in the following order, mustard seeds to splutter, dried red chillies, and the curry leaves. When the curry leaves are fried crisp, pour a spoonful of sauce over it and return it all to the sauce. Remove from the fire and stir in the coconut scrapings. Serve hot or cold as preferred.

PS Chef notes: Green-gram dal has a cooling effect on the body system. It is suitable for eating with rice or chappaties for lunch during the hot long summer days. Enjoy!

Traditional Indian Home Cooking Recipe: Green-gram dal curried sauce