Dhaabay Di Dal

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

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: A little effort
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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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Add the kidney beans, stir well, and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Add the salt and the cilantro, and stir. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  7. Crush the kasoori methi between your palms and sprinkle over the dal.
  8. Serve immediately with some rice and chapatis.

  1. I used one, without the seeds
  2. I used 1 teaspoon red chile powder + 2 teaspoons sweet paprika powder.
  3. This can safely be omitted to save some calories.

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