Recipe- Punjabi Style Urad Chana Daal

Urad daal is the most popular daal in Punjab. It taste very delicious and creamy after being cooked. You don’t need to add any cream to make it smooth.

Dhaba is the restaurant near the roads mainly on the highways. They have open sitting areas and serve hot fresh delicious food. Earlier the food served was mainly Punjabi cuisine but now you get so many varieties there.

Ingredients

2 cup White Lentil / Urad Daal
4 tbsp Bengal Gram / Chana Daal
3 Green Chilies
1.5 tbsp Ginger / Adrak
4 tbsp Chopped Coriander/ Hara Dhaniya
1/2 tsp Turmeric / Haldi
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
2.5 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Salt

Tempering

4 medium Tomato chopped
1 tsp Cumin seeds / Jeera
1/2 Asafoetida/ Hing
2 cloves
6 Peppercorn/ sabut kali mirch
2 tbsp Cooking Oil
2 tbsp Ghee or butter

Method

* Wash and soak both the lentils for 1/2 an hour.

* Chop tomatoes finely and slit green chillies lengthwise.

* In the pressure cooker add the soaked daal ,turmeric and enough water to cover the lentil (approx 1 inch above the lentils ) and pressure cook for 2 whistles or till lentils are just done. Don’t over cook them.

* Heat oil in a pan ,add cumin and asafoetida. When cumin start crackling add chopped tomatoes ,ginger,green chilies and salt,mix well.

* Cover and cook on slow heat till tomatoes become soft. Add all the dry spices and keep stirring till oil start separating from the sides of the masala.

* Add boiled daal and one glass of water,cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

* Remove from flame and add lemon juice,1 tbls of ghee or butter and chopped fresh coriander.

* Sprinkle garam masala and serve hot.

* Serving suggestions -Goes well with roti,naan or jeera rice.