Category: Fasting Recipes, Healthy Cooking, Lunch, Traditional
Cuisine: Kerala, North Indian
Cooking Method: Boiling, Pressure Cooking, Roasting, Sauteing
Yields: 4 Servings Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 10 Mins Cook Time: 25 Mins Total Time: 35 Mins
Dal is an integral part of any Indian meal. Whether you come from North, South, West, or Eastern part of Indian, every cuisine has dal included in some form. Bengali cuisine usually consists of rice and fish as their staple food. However, most of them observe at least two or three days of strict vegetarianism every week. During this time, rice, dal along with vegetables are served. On these vegetarian days, people usually refrain from eating onion and garlic in their diet.
This Bhajamuger dal is a very simple, yet flavorful dal made with moong dal and mild spices, and is usually served as a part of any Bengali vegetarian thali. The first time I ever looked at its recipe, I felt it is very simple and regular like the one we make. However, trust me it is different from the south-Indian dal varieties and very flavorful. The titbits of chopped coconut and cashews along with a sweet bite of raisins was definitely a different treat to my taste buds. Do try this dal and serve it hot with rice or rotis for your meal.
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
- Tempering Ingredients
Instructions
- Dry roast moong dal in a Kadai until they turn golden brown. Wash them and pressure cook the dal for 3 whistles along with quarter cup of green peas.
- Once they are cooked, release pressure and add turmeric powder. Mash it roughly.
- Heat a pan and add oil to it. Roast cumin seeds, red chili, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and cardamom pods. Roast finely chopped coconut, cashews, and raisins, fine chopped ginger, until golden brown
- Add sugar and salt to taste. Allow the dhal to boil. the dal. Add a teaspoon of ghee and turn off stove. Serve with rice and rotis.
Notes
- You can directly pressure cook moong dal instead of dry roasting it. However, dry roasting will give a nutty texture to the dal.
- Green peas can also be added to the dal. Some Bengali dal have that in addition to the cashews and raisins.
- I have used Ghee/clarified butter for tempering the dal for its original flavor. You can also replace it with regular cooking oil.