Who loves Dal?!

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bprescot

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Just had some re-heated Dal from last night, and that sh!t is good! Just simple Urad Dal and green lentils with a bit of turmeric, salt, garam masala and butter, topped with a tadka of onions, cumin, and a crap-load of jalapeno all over basmati. Stuff is GOOOD!

So i gotta ask, who here likes to get their dal on?
 
Haha as my parents are both from Bangladesh, Dal is a staple for us. I get Dal withdrawal if I don't have it from time to time! In college I made it once for my roommates and now they each make it on their own at least a couple times a week (psh, addicts). They put it on everything, Dal sandwich was one of their favorites :spin chair:
 
Love it, usually make extra with the intention of it lasting a few days but always eat it all as soon as it's ready and then lie on the sofa in a food coma :D
 
I love Dal. My favorite is moong (mung) dal with paneer.
 
One of the things I love but never make. I need to get into the kitchen more often...

Stefan
 
I saw this and at first I thought you were talking about me. :bigeek:

I have never heard of Dal, could someone enlighten me?
Del
 
I have never heard of Dal, could someone enlighten me?

Indian split peas. Usually in a stew, or in a curry over rice, like this feller mentions.


Does anyone know of any good traditional grains(other than rice) that is common for this kind of Indian dish?
 
cooked as a gravy and non spicy hot at all. Dahl is a vegetarian dish.Commonly served in indian vegetarian and non vegetarian restaurants. Served with common white rice and "roti prata" a pancake form. Do a google search . you will be surprised.

Being gravy like, can be served with any food as a dip for pancakes, bread etc. Thus it is very common in most indian restaurants as one of the options for gravy ( chicken, fish and mutton; no meat included) with the roti prata

Special grain of rice.. is normally used for " briyani rice" very aromatic and flavorful equivalent to paela concept. THe rice is cooked with spices and again served with options for choice of gravy and other dishes can be ordered..
 
I like dal, but I prefer channa masala which is made with chickpeas instead of lentils ( I use dried ones soaked overnight).
 
Basmati rice is THE staple grain in India. You should know that it is much lower in carbs and healthier for you than all other forms of rice besides brown.

Chapatis, which are basically like a whole wheat flour tortilla, are also served with dal.

I guess you could substitute quinoa for rice if you wanted to, it would definitely be more nutritious but not authentic at all.


Indian split peas. Usually in a stew, or in a curry over rice, like this feller mentions.


Does anyone know of any good traditional grains(other than rice) that is common for this kind of Indian dish?
 
+1

Now how about a recipe here guys.... ?
:hungry:

My Channa Masala(Serves 4-6)

2 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight (or 2xcans, but it won't be as creamy)
1 tbsp cumin, whole preferred
1 large onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1" piece ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 cup fresh tomatoes, small diced (about 2 tomatoes)
1 tbsp tamarind paste (or 2 tbsp vinegar)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Drain chickpeas, cover with water and 1 tsp. baking soda (it helps soften the chickpeas) in dutch oven and simmer covered on low-med for 45 mins.
2. Drain chickpeas and reserve, clean dutch oven.
3. On low-med heat in dutch oven, dry saute cumin until you can smell it. Do not burn it!!!
4. Add onions, garlic, ginger and jalapenos then saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and tamarind then simmer uncovered on low-med until thick and saucy, about 30 mins.
6. Take off heat, add cilantro and serve over rice with chapati bread.
 
I forgot to mention that you will want to saute the onions et al in 2 tbsp oil + 2 tbsp butter!

My Channa Masala(Serves 4-6)

2 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight (or 2xcans, but it won't be as creamy)
1 tbsp cumin, whole preferred
1 large onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1" piece ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 cup fresh tomatoes, small diced (about 2 tomatoes)
1 tbsp tamarind paste (or 2 tbsp vinegar)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Drain chickpeas, cover with water and 1 tsp. baking soda (it helps soften the chickpeas) in dutch oven and simmer covered on low-med for 45 mins.
2. Drain chickpeas and reserve, clean dutch oven.
3. On low-med heat in dutch oven, dry saute cumin until you can smell it. Do not burn it!!!
4. Add onions, garlic, ginger and jalapenos then saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and tamarind then simmer uncovered on low-med until thick and saucy, about 30 mins.
6. Take off heat, add cilantro and serve over rice with chapati bread.
 
Oh man, now I want chole! And chole's a good segue into rice-alternatives. For chole, for me, it's either rice or bhatura or puri. Only time I make bhatura is for chole but you could do puri for your dal, too! Not really a grain substitution, as much as subbing in bread for rice, but it's a good option.

Nice lookin' recipe. Pretty much exactly what I do, though i'll sometime brown fry the onions before adding the tomatoes. Depends what I'm in the mood for.

Oh, and if you want the sour and don't mind adding a bit of sweetness in, you can also use a bit of lemon juice instead of the tamarind paste. It will be a LOT brighter, though. Never thought to use straight vinegar. I'll have to try that once's my tamarind runs low.
 
Total dal nut here.
Its super tasty, fragrant, spicy, healthy and cheap. What´s not to like?
Also like khichdi, pav and most indian stuff really.

When I´m lazy (=default), I make a tadka from just a couple teaspoons of panch phoron and maybe some curry leaves. Sometimes make my own panch phoron without fennel seeds but with curry leaves.

If feeling fancy, I make the following dal which is a very old recipe from my gujarati friend.
(substitute kokum for something sour; I prefer tamarind sauce; usually I skip on the peanuts too which don´t add that mcuh imho)
 

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I didn’t love it growing up
But I like it now
Mom’s recipe is simple

1/2-1 cup dal
1/2 cup kidney beans

Ghee
1 onion
Garlic
Ginger
1 green chili
Cumin seeds

1 tomato after Thadka is browned
1 spoon tomato sauce
 

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I didn’t love it growing up
But I like it now
Mom’s recipe is simple

1/2-1 cup dal
1/2 cup kidney beans

Ghee
1 onion
Garlic
Ginger
1 green chili
Cumin seeds

1 tomato after Thadka is browned
1 spoon tomato sauce
Not really a dal expert but I think your mom simplified dal makhani. Love that one too, I have no tolerance for cream so I cut that part out as well

Here’s a nice, complex recipe for it

https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/dal-makhani-recipe/
 
My Channa Masala(Serves 4-6)

2 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight (or 2xcans, but it won't be as creamy)
1 tbsp cumin, whole preferred
1 large onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1" piece ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 cup fresh tomatoes, small diced (about 2 tomatoes)
1 tbsp tamarind paste (or 2 tbsp vinegar)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Drain chickpeas, cover with water and 1 tsp. baking soda (it helps soften the chickpeas) in dutch oven and simmer covered on low-med for 45 mins.
2. Drain chickpeas and reserve, clean dutch oven.
3. On low-med heat in dutch oven, dry saute cumin until you can smell it. Do not burn it!!!
4. Add onions, garlic, ginger and jalapenos then saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and tamarind then simmer uncovered on low-med until thick and saucy, about 30 mins.
6. Take off heat, add cilantro and serve over rice with chapati bread.


This I need to try. In college there was an Indian/Mediterranean fusion place catering to broke college students. I still think about the Chana masala and naan I used to get when pulling late nights studying on campus.

I tried a recipe a few weeks ago, and it ended up a rather miserable mess. It had both a huge variety of spices, and a huge amount so it just ended up over spiced.

This recipe looks much more promising. Simple is best. My mom always made a yellow split lentil soup, she brought the recipe back from the Middle East. Just a handful of ingredients including the spices. As a kid I couldn’t stand it. As an adult it’s become a go to comfort food if I want something warm but don’t want to spend too much time cooking
 
I like India food, but I do not know how to cook it. I have been eating wonderful India food on some of our cruises. I had DAL on our last cruise and it was very good. If you post recipes, I will try them.
They also served a hot pickle and a relish with it that was great with it.
 
Just had some re-heated Dal from last night, and that sh!t is good! Just simple Urad Dal and green lentils with a bit of turmeric, salt, garam masala and butter, topped with a tadka of onions, cumin, and a crap-load of jalapeno all over basmati. Stuff is GOOOD!

So i gotta ask, who here likes to get their dal on?
I've made dal quite a lot over the decades since my wife's vegetarian. Luckily live near Little Pakistan, and a short walk from Little Bangladesh in Brooklyn—which keeps me stocked with spices, dals, and my tastebud honest. Before that I lived in Little India in the East Village—althought dals there are generally watery, pooly spiced stuff.

Dal bhat (aka dal chawal; dal & rice) a popular belly filler in my neighborhood.

Dals can vary quite a bit depending on dal type, spices, oils, etc.

My go-to is using a mixture of moong dal and chana dal, stirring fresh methi (fenugreek), and/or coriander at the last.
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