Palak Moong Dal

Palak Moong Dal  Ingredients:

1 cup split Green Gram Lentil (Moong Dal)
3 cup chopped Spinach (Palak)
a pinch of Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
1 tsp Red Chili Powder (Lal Mirchi)
1 tsp Asafetida (Hing)
2 tblsp Butter
1 tsp chopped Garlic (Lasun)
1 tsp chopped Ginger (Adrak)
a pinch of Sodium bi carbonate
1 tblsp fresh Cream

How to make Palak Moong Dal:

Wash and soak the gram for 30 minutes.
Boil some water in a pan.
Add the spinach leaves and the sodium bi carbonate and cook the leaves for a minute over a high flame till the leaves are cooked.
Drain the leaves and when cool grind in a blender. remove and keep aside.
Cook the dal ,turmeric powder, chilly powder and the salt in a pressure cooker.
When the dal is cooked remove from the flame and keep aside.( make sure the dal is dissolved in the water, if the water was not sufficient add some more water and cook the dal again in a pan . use a wooden spoon to mash the dal).
Transfer the dal to a pan and add the spinach paste. mix thoroughly.
Cook over a low flame for 2 minutes.remove from the flame and keep aside.
Melt the butter in a pan . Add the garlic and fry for till the garlic turns light brown in color.
Add the ginger and the asafoetida and fry for a few seconds over a low flame.
Add the dal and mix thoroughly. remove from the flame and serve hot garnished with cream.Thats it Palak Moong Dal  is ready to Serve with Rice Or Roti

MASALA DAL

Ingredients:

1 cup Split Red Lentil (Masoor Dal)
5 slit Green Chilli (Hari mirch)
1 tblsp chopped Coriander Leaves (Dhania Patta)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
1/2 cup grated Coconut
Salt to taste
1 tsp Mustard Seeds (Raai / Raee)
1 tsp Cumin Seed (Jeera)
2 chopped Tomato (Tamatar)
1 tblsp Oil
1 meduim sized sliced Onion (Pyaj)

How to make masala dal:

• Wash and soak the gram for 30 minutes.
• Grind the grated coconut with a little water to a smooth paste in a blender.keep aside.
• Fry the sliced onions till golden brown. remove and keep aside.
• Cook the gram in a pressure cooker with just sufficient water to cook the dal until soft.
• Remove the lid of the cooker and add the green chillies , turmeric powder tomatoes and salt. cook for 3 minutes.
• When the tomatoes are cooked add the coconut paste. mix thoroughly.
• Cook for a minute and remove from the flame.
• Heat the oil in a pan. add the mustard seeds, when they crackle add the cumin seeds.
• Fry for a few seconds over a low flame. pour over the dal.
• Serve hot garnished with the fried onions and the chopped corriander leaves.

AMBE DAL

INGREDIENTS Split Bengal gram (chana dal) 1 1/2 cups Raw mango, grated 1 medium Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon Salt to taste Green chillies 3 Sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons Oil 1 tablespoon Asafoetida 1/4 teaspoon Mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon Dried red chillies, broken 2 Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon Coconut, scraped 2 tablespoons Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons

METHOD Soak the chana dal in four cups of water for at least four hours. Drain thoroughly. Place cumin seeds, salt, green chillies and sugar in a mortar and pound with a pestle for a minute or two. Then add the drained chana dal and pound into a coarse mixture.Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida and mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add red chillies and turmeric powder. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Transfer the dal mixture into a bowl. Add raw mango and coconut and mix well. Add the tempering to the dal mixture and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

ANDHRA DAL

INGREDIENTS Split pigeon pea (toor dal/arhar dal), soaked 1 cup Raw banana, 1 cm cubes 2 Split Bengal gram (chana dal), roasted 2 teaspoon Coriander seeds, roasted 2 teaspoon Black peppercorns 6-8 Scraped coconut 2 teaspoon dry red chilies 4 whole pods Tamarind pulp 2 tablespoon Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon Salt to taste Olive oil 2 teaspoon Mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon Curry leaves 6-8 Asafoetida a pinch Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 1 tablespoon

METHOD Pressure cook toovar dal with raw bananas and two cups of water till three whistles are given out. Grind chana dal, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, coconut, dry red chillies with tamarind pulp to a smooth paste. Take a deep pan and mix together boiled dal, ground paste, turmeric powder and salt. Heat olive oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. As they begin to splutter add cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Pour tempering over the dal and add coriander leaves. Bring dal to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Adjust consistency. Cook for two minutes. Serve hot with rice.