I can eat this dal at any time of the day. I don’t need bread, I don’t need rice, I don’t need anything else with it.
And all the credit for introducing me to this fabulous dal goes to my friend Manish Khanna. I was working at the Leela Kempenski in Mumbai, as was Manish. One day, he opened his lunch box and the entire room was instantly filled with a most tempting aroma. It beckoned me and before I knew it I had finished all his dal. Manish just sat there, staring at me with a bemused expression.
This dal reinforces the fact that vegetarian food can be just as delicious as non-vegetarian food. Even a simple dal like this could make me go weak in the knees. Till date, nothing, not even the most expensive meats or desserts I’ve had, has had such an effect on me. Even today, there are times I crave for it.
Dal
1 cup husked, split pigeon peas (arhar/toover dal)
½ tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of asafoetida powder
1 tsp oil
2 tbsp peanuts, boiled
2 tbsp tamarind pulp (p. 13)
2 tbsp jaggery, grated
½ cup yam, diced
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 sprig fresh curry leaves
2 pinches of garam masala powder
Tempering
1 tbsp oil
¼ tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
3 dried red chillies
Wash dal and soak in water for 20 minutes. Drain and add to a pan with turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, oil and 2½ cups of water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 20–25 minutes or till dal is cooked and mushy. Whisk dal till it becomes a smooth purée. Add 1½ cups of water with the remaining dal ingredients. Boil over medium heat till it thickens. Reduce heat to low. Put oil for tempering in a small pan over medium heat. When hot, add remaining tempering ingredients. When spices splutter, add the tempering to the dal and cover immediately. Switch off the heat and set aside for 5 minutes for flavours to blend. Stir well and serve with poori or rice.