Recipe for Grandpa's Dal Curry with Bacon
Dal curry with Bacon! Im not quite sure if you've ever heard of this combination or this dish before! I was introduced to this dish by my Late Maternal Grandfather(My Papa) when I was a little kid. Whenever he knew we were coming over, he would fill the house with delicious goodies for us grandkids and he would either cook something himself or ask Nana to make something special for lunch. This Dal curry with bacon was one of his many favourites. It is a combination of Curry paste, Red Dal(lentil) and Smoked bacon! This is a family recipe and I was taught to make this by my Mom, because I was too small when my grandparents passed away to have learnt it from them. As always, I'd love for all of you to share in the joy of my family recipes😊I hope you enjoy this super flavoursome curry as much as my family does, till 😊😊
Servings 4 People
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Red Masoor Dal(split red lentil)
- 120 Gms Smoked Pork Bacon(You can use Smoked Turkey bacon too)
- 4 Binda Sola/Kokum
- 2 Green Chillies(slit)
- 1/2 Medium sized Onion(Chopped Fine)
- 1/2 Medium Sized Tomato(Chopped Fine)
- 1 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1/2 Veg Stock cube(approx 3 gms)
- 3 Cup Water
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- Salt as per taste(only if required, as Bacon has salt in it)
For the Masala
- 3 Tbsp Fresh grated coconut
- 4 Kashmiri Chillies
- 1/2 Tspn Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tspn Coriander seeds
- 1/2 Tspn Cumin Seeds
- 4 Garlic cloves
- Marble size piece of Tamarind
- 1/2 Onion(roughly diced)
- 1/2 Tomato(roughly diced)
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Wash the Dal till the water runs clear and soak in 1 cup water and keep it aside for about 30 minutes
- Cut the bacon strips into 1 inch pieces and keep aside
For the Masala
- In a mixer grinder, Add all the ingredients mentioned under the 'Masala' section and make a thick smooth paste and keep aside
For the Dal curry
- After 30 minutes of the Dal being soaked, In a vessel, add the oil, chopped onion, tomato, slit chillies and Binda Sola/Kokum, mix it well, put a lid on and place it on medium flame
- Once the onions start turning translucent, add the Ginger Garlic paste and Bacon pieces, mix it well and let it cook for about 10 minutes
- Then add the soaked Dal along with the Water. Add another 1/2 cup water and let it cook till the dal becomes soft and completely mushy.
- Then add the Curry Paste and Veg Stock cube(if using)
- To that, add 1 cup water and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes or so. Check for salt and check if the bacon is cookedNote:- After adding the curry paste to the dal, add 1 cup water into the mixer grinder in which the curry paste was ground, give it a quick shake and add that water to the dal curry.
- If you like your curry very thick, let it boil till it turns thick. If you like your curry abit thin and runny, you can add the remaining 1/2 cup water and let the curry boil.
- The curry should taste Smoky and Tangy with a dash of spice
- Enjoy this curry with some hot rice and some dry fish fry or any fish fry on the side! You will love it!
Follow these steps to make the Ginger Garlic Paste
- Add the following into a mixer grinder*100 gms Garlic (skinned and roughly chopped)*60 gms Ginger (thoroughly washed and roughly chopped. Some people like to remove the skin of the ginger. I don't. However, you can do it the way you are comfortable :)-Grind these two ingredients to a thick fine paste-Transfer this paste into an Air Tight container-As soon as the paste is ready, it will be hot, due to the pressure of the mixer rotation. Please wait until the paste has turned completely cool and only then cover it with a lid-Ginger Garlic paste should be stored in the refrigerator. It can be stored up to 15-20 days