PLAIN DAL
This is a famous Indian Dal which accompanies plain white rice in daily meals of most Indian families. Often, I have had people ask me ‘How do Vegetarians get their protien?’ The answer to that is Dal. There are various kinds of Dals (Lentils) which are very popular throughout India. They are the part of the daily menu, and are especially good for Vegetarians as they are the major source of Protein.
The following recipe is of Plain Toor Dal which is very popular and readily available in Indian Grocery Stores as well as in some Super Markets. This Dal is served in many Indian Restaurants and if you are an Indian food lover, you must have already tasted it. I hope you like it. I am giving 2 recipes, one is plain Dal and other one is spicy Dal. To make the spicy Dal, one has to know how to make plain Dal because the same Dal is made into a spicy one. So here is the plain Dal recipe which is very easy.
PLAIN DAL
INGREDIENTS:
4 Servings
1 Cup of Toor Dal
¼ tsp. Turmeric Powder
¼ tsp. Salt
2 ½ Cups of water for cooking.
2 Cups of extra water for adding to the cooked Dal.
DIRECTIONS:
Put the Dal in a large strainer and wash it while rubbing it with fingers, under the running tap water, for couple of minutes. Put it in a quart size cooking pan which has a lid. Add the water and put it on the medium heat. When it starts boiling, stir it Couple of times so that the grains would not settle down at the bottom of the pan. Let it boil for another 2-3 minutes. When a kind of foam from the Dal starts rising up in the pan, reduce the heat to lowest and stir it well. Let it get to boiling again. Stir couple of times more till the foam settles down a bit. It may take another 2-3 minutes. Put the lid on and let it cook for 35 minutes on the lowest heat. Do not open the lid. You may set the timer on to make it easier. Turn off the heat. Open the lid carefully to avoid the vapor. With a fork stir the cooked dal to make it into a thick smooth paste. Add extra 2 cups of water, Turmeric powder and salt and stir well. Put back the pan without the lid, on the medium heat and bring it to boil while stirring couple of times to avoid it from sticking at the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat when it starts boiling. Take out in the serving bowl. The picture above is of an individual serving.
Serve with plain rice.
DIRECTIONS TO MAKE SPICY DAL OUT OF PLAIN DAL:
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp. Coconut oil/Canola oil
½ tsp. Mustard seeds
½ tsp. Cumin seeds
½ tsp. Red chilly powder
½ tsp. Coriander powder
½ tsp. Onion powder
½ Cup of chopped Coriander leaves
DIRECTIONS:
Put the oil in a quart size pan and put it on the medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds start popping up, turn off the heat and add all the three powders and stir it. Immediately, add the above made plain Dal and stir well. Cook it till it starts boiling. Turn off the heat and add the chopped coriander leaves. Stir well and put it in the serving bowl. The picture shows an individual serving.
Serve with plain rice or any bread of your choice.
Below I am giving you another recipe made out of plain Toor Dal. It’s very easy.
Just follow the above spicy Dal recipe by adding a pinch of clove powder to the rest of the powders .
Add a medium size tomato cut into 8 pieces.
1/4 tsp. of salt .
Bring it to boil and add coriander leaves in the last. Stir well and take it out in a serving bowl. It looks very attractive and taste delicious with any kind of bread or rice. It makes 4 portions. The picture below is definitely tempting.
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