FOOD SPECIAL...Lentil Comfort

Lentil Comfort The dal forms the cornerstone of Indian kitchens, but it isn’t a plain, predictable concoction     Ask anyone about the food they go back to regularly for comfort and convenience, and more often than not the answer will be “dal-chawal”, in one form or the other. And this is especially true of frequent travellers, high-profile chefs who turn out exotic dishes on a day-to-day basis professionally but seek out simpler joys at home, and even foodies.     Whether it is the simple yellow arhar dal, tempered with asafoetida and cumin, or the slow-cooked dish that gets recycled and rejuvenated with each fresh and fiery tadka in dhabas, or indeed the fancier Dal Bukhara, an institution in itself whose recipe is zealously protected — the way we treat our lentils is unique to the subcontinent. The Pulse Races It’s not that other cuisines do not incorporate the lentil in their menus. You only have to look at the Mediterranean and at Arab and Arab-inspired cuisines and even at northern Italian food (where, for instance, red lentil or masoor dal gets interpreted as winter soups) to recognise the spread of the cult. But the seriousness with which Indian kitchens treat the dal as a cornerstone of cooking is unique.     When I started writing on food, a friend casually pointed out that the best places are those that serve the best dals. Over the years, I have never had cause to disagree.     How food is cooked in India is determined by seasons, by geography and by communities. And you can see all these factors come into play quite clearly when you see how the same lentil gets treated across homes. One winter speciality that you could try out this season is the satpaita, a traditional recipe from Uttar Pradesh and Old Delhi, typically cooked in Muslim and Kayastha homes. Urad dal or black gram is heavier and starchy and just apt for this season. Use split black urad (with the husk on) for this dish. Since we don’t slow-cook dal for hours any more, pressure cook this one till well done. Put the pot back on the fire, adding fresh methi greens (but these can be bitter, so saute them lightly and then add to the dal) that flavour the satpaita. Let the whole concoction blend and cook for around 15-20 minutes. Temper with garlic, cumin and fresh green chillies. Twist in the Lentil Dal can, in fact, be eaten as subzi. Many parts of India have a tradition of sun-drying badis/mangoris/papads made with a paste of lentils and then using them in curries. In my home, a rather different pakori ki subzi is a common lunch dish. Soak moong dal overnight, drain and grind to a paste. Drop the batter with a spoon in hot oil and fry pakoris. Keep aside. The curry for this is a no onion-no garlic one, but thin and flavourful. For this, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, add a pinch of asafoetida, then turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Quickly add water and bring to a boil. Let the curry simmer and add the pakoris to it. Let them soak up the gravy for a couple of minutes. Serve hot with paranthas. Chholar Dal for the Soul Chef Anurudh Khanna of Fire at the Park in New Delhi gives me two very flavourful recipes: the beloved khatti dal from Hyderabad and the chholar dal from Bengal. For the khatti dal, take 500 gm of masoor dal, wash and soak for an hour. Boil in enough water with red chilli powder, ginger and garlic paste, curry leaves, turmeric powder and fresh coriander. Once it is well cooked, mash the lentil to achieve a consistent texture. Add tamarind paste (20 g), salt and green chillies and a little water if required. The consistency should be of a thick gravy. Temper the dal with dry red chillies, cumin seeds, garlic and curry leaves. Serve it hot with steamed rice. For the chholar dal, take 500 gm of Bengal gram (chana dal), soak for an hour. Add water and boil the dal with turmeric powder, bay leaf and a stick of cinnamon. Cook till well done and soft. The consistency should be semi-thick. Dice 20 gm dry coconut. For the tempering, heat ghee in a pan, add whole cumin seeds, diced coconut and some raisins. When it gets aromatic, add to the dal. Now boil the entire concoction again for about 10 minutes, adjusting the seasoning with salt and two teaspoons of sugar. Eat with piping hot luchis. Sambar Trail Executive Chef Alok Anand of Taj Coromandel gives a recipe made by his sous chef’s grandmother in their Tamil Brahmin home:     Wash 500 gm of toor dal (arhar/yellow pigeon pea) and soak. Soak 50 gm of tamarind separately in 200 ml of water and extract the pulp. Chop some tomatoes and keep aside. Cut some drumstick into 2-inch pieces. Add these along with 100 gm of shallots, some coriander leaves and turmeric powder to the dal and cook till well done. For the sambar paste, pan-roast, coriander seeds, black pepper, fenugreek seeds, cumin, chillies and grated coconut. Grind to a coarse paste.     For the tempering, heat ghee in a pan, add round red chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves, add some more shallots (100 gm) and sauté till they are soft and cooked. Now add the boiled dal to this and add the sambar masala. Finally add the souring agents (tomatoes and tamarind) and simmer for 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning with jaggery and salt. Finish with chopped coriander leaves. Voilà. :: Anoothi Vishal  a Delhi-based food writer & curates food festivals ET130113