Read 1,000 Indian Recipes Online
Authors: Neelam Batra
1,000 Indian Recipes (194 page)
Sindhi Sookhi Mung Dal
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Here is a
dal
dish I remember eating at my Sindhi friend's home in New Delhi. The Sindhi people generally add a lot of tomatoes and onions to their dishes—both cooked and raw, as in this dish, which also has fresh green chile peppers. Serve it as a salad, or top it with any green chutney and
chaat masala
and call it a
chaat
(a snack with layers of tangy, spicy flavors).
1 cup yellow mung beans (dhulli mung dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water
2 cups water
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground turmeric
1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt, or to taste
1
⁄
2
teaspoon mango powder
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, including soft stems
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1
⁄
2
small onion, finely chopped
1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1
⁄
4
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or ground paprika
1.
Soak the dal in water to cover by 2 inches, about 2 hours. Drain and transfer to a medium saucepan. Add the water, turmeric, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring once or twice, until the dal is soft and all the water has been absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.
2.
Very carefully, trying not to break the dal, mix in the mango powder and cilantro, then transfer to a serving dish. Scatter the tomato, onion, and green chile pepper over the dal and mix lightly with a fork.
3.
Heat the oil (or ghee ) over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the coriander and cayenne pepper (or paprika), pour over the dal, and serve.
Spicy Dry-Cooked Split Green Mung Beans
Chilkae vaali Mung Dal
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Split mung
dal
with its green skin on, makes a delicious fiber-rich entrée with a side of okra, cauliflower, or eggplant, and a yogurt
raita
, and also works well as a stuffing for snacks and vegetables, especially hollowed out cherry tomatoes.
This
dal
, with its green skin, is a little harder than the skinless yellow mung
dal
, so I first soak it in water to tenderize it and then cook it in a saucepan. (If using a pressure cooker, the
dal
needs no soaking.)
1
1
⁄
2
cups split green mung beans (chilkae vaali mung dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons cumin seeds
1 (1-inch) stick cinnamon
3 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin
2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
1
⁄
2
teaspoon ground cumin
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground turmeric
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground asafoetida
3
⁄
4
teaspoon salt, or to taste
3
1
⁄
2
to 4 cups water
Fresh lime juice, to taste
1
⁄
2
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
1
⁄
4
cup finely chopped scallions, white parts only
1
⁄
4
teaspoon garam masala
1.
Soak the dal in water to cover by 2 inches, about 2 hours. Drain. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, and cardamom pods; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the ginger, green chile peppers, and tomatoes and stir about 1 minute.
2.
Add the coriander, fenugreek leaves, cumin, turmeric, asafoetida, and salt, then add the dal plus all the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook until all the water has been absorbed and the dal is tender, about 30 minutes. Add extra water, if needed. Mix in the lime juice, cilantro, and scallions, transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the garam masala on top, and serve.
Gujarati Green Mung Beans with Green Masala Paste 
Gujarati Hara Masala Saabut Mung Dal
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Hara masala
—a green spice paste made of finely ground ginger, garlic, and green chile peppers—is almost indispensable to my Gujarati friend Naina Kapadia's cooking, and this
dal
preparation is no exception.
Whole mung beans with their green skin on take over an hour if cooked in an ordinary pan, so to speed up the process Indian cooks routinely make this
dal
(and most others, with or without the skin) in a pressure cooker.
1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons
Gujarati Green Paste
1
1
⁄
4
cups green mung beans (saabut mung dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water
4
1
⁄
2
to 5 cups water
1
⁄
2
teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 to 6 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, broken
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground asafoetida
1
⁄
4
teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1.
Prepare the masala paste. Then, place the dal, water, masala paste, turmeric, and salt in a pressure cooker. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker and cook it over high heat until the regulator indicates high pressure, then cook about 30 seconds more. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to depressurize on its own, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully open the lid and check to see if the dal is very soft and creamy; if not, cover and simmer until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, cover, and keep warm.
2.
Heat the oil in a small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat, add the red chile peppers and cook, stirring, until they are a few shades darker. (If using the chiles whole, stand back from the pan in case they burst.) Remove from the heat, add the asafoetida, then lightly mix into the dal, with parts of it visible as a garnish. Sprinkle the garam masala and cilantro on top and serve.