Recipe for Home style Tangy Dal Fry
Recipe for Home style Tangy Dal Fry
During the olden days when the Boy's parents would go with a Marriage proposal to a Girl's house, the first question asked to the Girl's parents was "Does your daughter know how to cook?? We hope she can atleast make a simple Dal"😄Yes! Dal is known to be one of the simplest of Vegetarian dishes. Not only is it Simple, but also packed with loads of Nutrition!When I was a kid, my mum would allow me to help in the kitchen only once I was done with my homework.This rcipe of Tangy Dal Fry was an experimental one.Whenever there is Dal being made at home, till today, there is always Mackerel or Shark fish stuffed with the Traditional Goan Racheado masala paste and Pan fried. So, one day, Mum allowed me to help in the kitchen. She asked me to Stuff the fish with the masala and keep it ready for her to fry.The Fidgy me, couldn't only do what I was told and leave , right?? I was so tempted with that Red colour of the Racheado masala and as the dull Yellow dal was boiling, I thought I should make that dal look and taste interesting! So when my Mom wasnt looking(because if i woud ask her, she would haveobviousy say a loud NO🤷), I quickly added a spoon of the masala into the Dal, stirred it and left from there. My Mother, knowing my Love for experiments, laughed (Thank God she laughed😅) and asked if I put Racheado masala in the Dal. My answer to that was "If its good, YES, If its not good, NO" and she said "good??? IT IS TOO GOOD" And from then on, I was handed over the baton to make my Tangy Dal each and everytime Dal was being made at home 😄
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Cup Mix Dal(Tuvar, Masoor, Moong. You can use only 1 type of Dal or any 2 types Dals, if you dont have all)
- 2 Medium Sized Onion(chopped fine)
- 1 Medium Sized Tomato(chopped fine)
- 4 Green Chillies(slit)
- 8-10 Garlic cloves(crushed)
- 4" Ginger(crushed)
- 8-10 Cury Leaves
- 1 Tsptb Ginger Garlic paste
- 1/2 Ts Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/4 Tsp Asafoetida(Hing)
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1.5 Tsp Short cut Racheado Masala(I love to add this masala sometimes to my Dal, only if I have some stock stored up in the fridge. It's Optional. Recipe given below)
- 1/2 Tsp Tspn Chilly Powder(If you're using Racheado Masala, no need to add Chilly Powder)
- Juice of 1 Medium Sized Lemon(alter as per your taste. If you're adding Racheado Masala, add a little less of Lemon Juice, as there is Vinegar in the Racheado Masala)
- 1.5 Tsp 1 Tspn Ketchup (If you're adding Racheado Masala, no need to add Ketchup, since there is Sugar & Ketchup in the Racheado Masala)
- 1/2 Veg Billon cube(optional) 3gms
- 8-10 t Coriander Leaves with stem(chopped fine)
- Salt as per taste(I used 1/2 tspn)
- 2 Tbsp Ghee or oil(I prefer using Ghee)
- 5 Cups Water
Instructions
- Wash the Dal until the water runs clear and Soak it for about 1 hour
- After 1 hour, In a Pressure cooker, add 2 tbspn of Ghee or Oil and place the Pressure cooker on Medium flame
- Once the Ghee melts and turns hot, add the Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds amd Asafoetida and allow the Mustard seeds to sputterNote:- If the oil is not hot enough, the Mustard and Cumin seeds wont sputter and will remain bitter and that bitter taste will get transferred to the Dal. So, ensure that tge oil/ghee is bot enough.To check if the oil/ghee is hot enough, just throw in 1 or 2 mustard seeds into the hot oil and check.
- Once the Mustard Seeds sputter, add the slit green chillies, curry leaves, crushed garlic and ginger and stir
- Immediately after a minute or so, add the chopped Onions and Tomatoes and stir
- Once the Onions start turnring translucent, add the Ginger Garlic paste and stir
- Once the raw smell of the Ginger Garlic paste reduces, add the Soaked Dal along with 5 cups of Water, 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder, 1/2 tspn Chilly powder, Lemon Juice, Salt, Veg Cube(if using), Racheado Masala(if using) and stir it wellNote:-Dal tends to thicken as it boils so 5 cups may seem too much initially, but later as it boils, the consistency will be perfect.
- Now put the pressure cooker lid onSafety tip:- As you place the pressure cooker lid, since the gas flame is on, there will be steam in the cooker. So, while placing the lid, keep releasing/lifting the whistle and then tighten the lid
- Allow the dal to cook until 3-4 whistles have been released. Once 3-4 whistles are released, turn off the flame and let the dal sit inside the cooker till all the steam has been released from the cooker(it will take about 15-20 minutes)
- Once the steam has been released from the cooker, lift the whistle and turn the lid and open the cooker
- Add the Finely chopped coriander leaves and turn the gas flame on and let it boil on high flame for about 10-15 minutes or until the Dal gets a nice thick consistency. If you like your Dal runny or 'watery dal' as my nephew, Jaden loves it, You can add a cup of water at this stage and boil it. Check for Salt.
- Once done, turn off the flame and enjoy you Tangy Dal with some Hot Rice or Parathas or Chapatis.
Follow these steps to make the Shortcut Racheado Masala
- Make a paste of the following:- 1 tspn Kashmiri Chilly powder1/2 tspn Jeerem Meerem Powder(recipe given below)1/2 tspn sugar1/2 tspn Ketchup1.5 tspn Vinegar1 tspn Ginger Garlic Paste(recipe given below)You can use this paste for fish fry, chicken fry or add it to your curries, chilly fries, etc.
Follow these steps to make the Jeerem Meerem Powder
- Add the following into to a mixer grinder*100gms Cumin seeds*100gms Pepper corns*50gms Cloves (if its too strong, you can add about 25-30gms)*50gms Cinnamon (if you don’t like the cinnamon flavor much, add only 30gms)-Grind all these ingredients to a fine powder-Transfer this spice mix into an Air Tight container -As soon as the powder is ready, it will be hot, due to the pressure of the mixer rotation. Please wait until the spice powder has turned completely cool and only then cover it with a lid-You can use Jeerem Meerem powder to make curries, chilly fries, cutlets, etc. Add the required quantity as per your taste(Please use only a DRY spoon while removing the Jeerem Meerem powder from the Air Tight container)-Jeerem Meerem powder should be stored in a dry place. It can be stored up to 1 year.