Tapeliya Dal Bhaat

Gujarati Rice

SERVES 4–6

When I visited the home of Mugdha, one of my food researchers, with Chef Michael and our friend Kush, the highlight of the menu was the Gujarati rice she had made. She told me it was called tapeliya dal bhaat and was extremely simple to make. I liked it so much that I had twice as much as I normally eat!

INGREDIENTS

Dal

½ cup husked, split pigeon peas (arhar/toover dal)

A pinch of asafoetida powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp oil

Spice paste

½ cup fresh coconut, grated

1 (large) onion, roughly chopped

1" piece ginger

6 cloves garlic

1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly roasted

½ tsp cumin seeds, lightly roasted

1" stick cinnamon

4 cloves

5 black peppercorns

3 dried red chillies

Rice

1 cup basmati or long-grained rice

1 tbsp oil

¼ tsp asafoetida powder

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 sprig fresh curry leaves

1 tsp salt or to taste

METHOD

Dal Wash dal and soak in water for 20 minutes. Drain dal and put in a pressure cooker with asafoetida powder, turmeric powder, oil and 1½ cups of water. Pressure-cook over low heat for 12–14 minutes after the cooker reaches full pressure. The dal should be well-cooked and mushy. When the pressure settles, whisk dal till smooth and stir in 1 cup of water. Set aside.

Spice paste Combine all spice paste ingredients in a grinder and grind to make a smooth paste, adding very little water if required.

Rice Wash rice and drain in a colander. Put oil in a pressure pan over medium heat. When hot, add asafoetida powder, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the spices crackle, add the ground paste and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the prepared diluted dal and the drained rice and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Mix in salt and pressure-cook over low heat for 12–14 minutes after the cooker reaches full pressure. Serve hot with chhaas (buttermilk) or plain yogurt.