TOOR DAL (SPLIT YELLOW PIGEON PEAS)
Dal can be made with all kinds of lentils and cooking methods. These vary not just from region to region, but also from day to day, mood to mood. Some cooks like dal soupy, others chunky. There are dals for special occasions, seasoned with charcoal smoke and butter or padded out luxuriously with cream, as well as lighter, leaner dals that can restore you when you're not feeling well.The flavor of this everyday, Gujarati-style dal comes from the pure nuttiness of split pigeon peas, boiled until tender and bolstered with spices bloomed in hot ghee. This fat-tempering technique, called vaghar in Gujarati, has many names and many uses across the country. In this case, the tempering is a great introduction to the resourcefulness and finesse of Indian home cooks: Just a few tablespoons of carefully seasoned fat, tipped in at the very last moment, transform an entire pot.
Provided by Tejal Rao
Categories dinner, soups and stews, main course, side dish
Time 4h
Yield 4 to 6 servings (about 3 cups)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Prepare the dal: Soak the pigeon peas in a large bowl of warm water for about 1 hour. (They will have swelled a little.) Thoroughly rinse the soaked pigeon peas with fresh water, then tip the drained pigeon peas into a pot.
- Add tomatoes, turmeric, salt and 5 cups water, and bring to a boil over high. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to purée some of the dal, leaving some intact and getting some very smooth, or whisk vigorously to break up some of the soft dal. Stir in the peanuts and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the dal is very tender, about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt. If the dal has become too thick for your liking, stir in a splash of water.
- Prepare the tempering: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the ghee. When hot, carefully add all of the tempering ingredients (the mustard seeds will sputter!) and swirl the pan until you can smell all the toasted spices, about 30 seconds. Pour everything over the hot dal.
PIGEON-PEA SOUP
Categories Soup/Stew Garlic Pepper Pork Vegetable Lunch Sausage Hot Pepper Butternut Squash Spring Plantain Jalapeño Cilantro Gourmet Dairy Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free No Sugar Added
Yield Makes 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Simmer peas, ham, water, and broth in a 4-quart heavy pot, uncovered, 30 minutes. Make sofrito while peas simmer: Cook jalapeño, bell pepper, ají dulce chiles, onion, and garlic in oil in a skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add cilantro, tomato, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Season sofrito with salt and pepper.
- Simmer and season stew:
- Stir sofrito and squash into pea mixture and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and liquid is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Mash garlic clove and cilantro to a paste with a mortar and pestle, then season with salt and pepper and add to stew. Grate plantain on large holes of a grater directly into stew and season stew with salt and pepper.
BASIC SOUTH INDIAN SOUPY SPLIT PIGEON PEAS
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- 1. Prepare the tamarind paste and the sambar powder. Then, place the dal, water, green chili peppers, curry leaves, turmeric, and salt in a pressure cooker. Secure the lid and cook over high heat until the regulator indicates high pressure, then cook 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully open the lid and mix in the tamarind and cilantro. Stir vigorously to mash the dal, then transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and keep warm.2. Heat the oil in a small nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the red chili peppers, stirring about 30 seconds (stand back in case they burst), then the onion, and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, fry a few seconds, then add the asafoetida and mustard seeds they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so lower the heat and cover the pan until the spluttering subsides. Add the sambar powder and cook, about 30 seconds. Transfer to the dal and swirl lightly to mix, with parts of it visible as a garnish. Top with the cilantro and serve.From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Nutrition Facts : Nutritional Facts Serves
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