Dal

Dal is quite a vast topic. And there are tons of ways to do it. Here’s mine for a weekday dal which I enjoy regularly.

• By volume measure 70-85% Toor dal(yellow) and the remainder be Masoor dal (red lentils)
• Wash them 2-3 times then soak in water for 30 minutes
• Prep Onions, Ginger and Garlic.
• 2 Onions diced medium-fine
• 6 cloves of garlic chopped medium-fine
• 1 inch ginger cut into thin slices and another inch into thin strips
• Once the dal has finished soaking we can start
• Put a pressure cooker on the stove, once hot add in a tsp of ghee
• Add in the dal, mix it a little. Followed by the ginger slices, one whole green chilly and one tsp of turmeric powder and red chilly powder each.
• Add in sufficient water to cover the dal by over half an inch.
• On high flame wait for the first whistle. This should take around 4-6 minutes.
• Set a timer for 12 minutes and let the dal cook on low flame.
• Let the cooker naturally depressurise.
• We can start prepping the masala.
• add 1.5 tablespoons of ghee in a hot kadhai (or pan)
• Keep the flame on medium (but if you’re uncomfortable you can keep it at low)
• Once that is hot add in 2 tsp of cumin seeds, Cook for 20-30 seconds, let its color change but be careful to not burn it.
• Once heated, add in a pinch of hing and mix around
• Add in the garlic, cook for 15-25 seconds
• Add in the ginger and cook for another 20 seconds.
• Add in the onions and cook them for 5 minutes.
• Keep an eye on the stove and ocassionally stir. After the 2nd minute of cooking them also cover the utensil. The steam helps it cook faster.
• The onions should have reduced in size and should have started to brown.
• Add in a half tbsp of turmeric powder, 2/3 tbsp of red chilly pwd (Or as per your preference) and 1 tbsp of coriander powder.
• Cook for another two-three minutes on low flame
• Add in the dal, add water as per preferred consistency, add in a tablespoon of salt, cover the utensil and let it cook for 5-6 minutes.