What attracted me in this dish was the whimsical name, but the flavour is what will make me come back to it over and over again. I cooked this dish for the first time for a goodbye dinner party, a bit of a risk, but the risk paid off with interest: I am sure I will be cooking this protein-rich vegetarian dish over and over again.
As I mentioned before, I had a small epiphany with respect to cooking Indian food: one really needs to let the starting mixtures (e.g., garlic & ginger, onion & green chili, spices) burn a bit, to get that depth of flavour characteristic of the authentic dishes.
As far as the authenticity of the spiciness level is concerned, I am not yet there, nor shall I ever be, but that is the beauty of cooking from scratch: you get to decide.
This recipe is taken from the book How to cook Indian. It requires a bit of forethought, as the grains must be soaked before cooking.
Dhabbay Di Dal
Ingredients
- 100 g chilkewali urad dal
- 50 g chana dal
- 115 cooked red kidney beans
- 50 ml vegetable oil
- 2.5 cm piece of ginger, chopped
- 8 to 10 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 green chiles, stemmed and chopped1
- 0.5 tablespoon ground roasted cumin
- 1 tablespoon red chile powder2
- 0.5 can of tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter3
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Instructions
- Place the dals in a large bowl, wash them in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add abundant water and let soak for at least 6 hours. Drain.
- Put the dals in a saucepan and cover with 1.5 l boiling water. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. At the start, there will be some foam which you should remove with a spoon.
- Add the kidney beans, stir well, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute or until golden brown. Add the onion and chiles, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onion is golden brown.
- Add the cumin and the chile powder, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring continuously. Add this mixture to the dal mixture. Add the butter and stir well.
- Add the salt and the cilantro, and stir. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Crush the kasoori methi between your palms and sprinkle over the dal.
- Serve immediately with some rice and chapatis.