Spiced Moong Dal with Jeera Paratha

Yellow Moong Dal and Parathas are such a good match. We had a few ready made parathas lying around so I thought I would make yellow moong dal tonight for dinner. I made the moong dal kind of like a soup, and it is such a comforting meal. It's a pretty easy recipe too so you can't go wrong. Here you go ...

1 cup yellow moong dal
2 cups water
2 tomatoes, ground into paste
4 green chilies, ground into paste
2" piece ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp coriander powder
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafeotida powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp sambhar masala (optional)
2 dry red chilies, broken into bits
Sugar to taste (optional)
Salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice or reserve for garnish
1 tsp tamarind paste (optional)
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Shredded coconut for garnish

1. Soak the moong dal for about two hours. Then wash and drain the dal. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil/ghee in pot. Add the mustard seeds, the cumin seeds. Let them pop fully before adding the broken red chilies and asafoetida powder. Sautee the green chilies, ginger-garlic paste and onions until onions are golden brown.
3. Next, add the tomatoes with 1/2 cup water. Let tomatoes cook until they reduce down in size (or when oil leaves sides of pan; about 5-7 minutes.) Also add the salt and turmeric powder.
4. Add the dal next and stir fry for few minutes. Add the coriander powder, sugar, and sambhar masala (if using) along with the remaining 1.5 cups water. Let the dal come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let the dal cook for 15-20 minutes. Your one pot wonder is ready once the dal is soft and tender. You can add more water depending on your desired consistency.
4. Finally, garnish with lemon juice, chopped cilantro and shredded coconut and serve hot with Jeera Parathas or rice!

You can make this curry one of two ways. One way is the recipe listed above. The other way is to first, pressure cook the yellow moong dal, for about 15 minutes, until soft. Then season it just like above. The dal is already cooked so it will not take as much time to cook after the seasoning. I do not know which method is better, but when I do, I will certainly let you know. I prefer the above method because I have more control of the consistency.

I was just reflecting this morning on the days back home when my Mom would make this dish or any dal dish for dinner. "Kothar" is what they call it. Back then, I wasn't at all interested in eating lentils unless it was dhal bhatt. Now, that I am the queen of our kitchen, I seem to be making lentil dishes quite a bit, and not the least bit bored either. Each dish is a new adventure, and I am that much more grateful and appreciative for my Mom's recipes. I tweaked her recipe a little, and what you see above is the end result.

This simple meal is what's for dinner tonight. Sadly, it will be my last recipe blog posting until December. =(