Upasachi Dal (Ros) (Goan Style)

Varn (Goan Style)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup arhar dal(toor dal)

1/2 cup grated coconut

1 tsp jeera

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1 tsp sugar

1 cup water

salt to taste

for the tempering:

1 tsp ghee

1/2 tsp oil

pinch of hing

7-8 karipatta

1/4 tsp rai

Method:

• Wash the arhar dal and soak for 15 minutes.
• In a pressure cooker add the dal, water, haldi powder and salt and cover with the lid. Cook for one whistle on high and two whistles on sim. Switch off the flame and let the pressure drop by itself.
• In a mixie add the grated coconut, jeera and ground to fine paste. Keep aside.
• Heat a small kadai for tempering, heat ghee and oil on medium high flame. Add the mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the karipatta leaves and hing.
• Add the tempering over the cooked dal. Mix well.
• Add the ground coconut paste to the dal and cook the dal in the uncovered pressure cooker.
• Add sugar and bring to a boil.
• Serve hot with rice!!!

Tips:

• This is my version of the varn. You can add jeera while boiling the dal.
• You may add grated coconut only instead of the ground coconut (and jeera while boiling the dal). However I prefer to add the ground coconut.
• Many do not prefer to give the tempering of rai to this recipe.
• You can add jaggery instead of sugar.
• If you want the consistency of the dal to be thinner, add water along with the coconut.
• You can add 1 tbsp of water while grinding the coconut.
• This is a very light dal and taste fantastic with rice.

Cholar Dal Paneer (Chana Dal with Paneer)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chana dal

1/2 cup water

1oo gms paneer

1 medium sized onion, finely grated

1 tomato, finely grated

3 cloves of garlic, finely grated

1" ginger, finely grated

1 green cardamom (elaichi)

1" cinnamon (dalchini)

2 cloves (laung)

1/2 tsp coriander Powder

1/2 tsp jeera powder

1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

3/4 tsp haldi powder

2 1/2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

for garnish

pinch of cardamom powder

pinch of cinnamon powder

Method:

• Wash chana dal and soak it in water, keep aside.
• In a pressure cooker, add chana dal, water, haldi and salt, cover with the lid and light the flame to high. Take one whistle on high flame and three on medium whistle. Turn the gas off and let the pressure drop by itself.
• Cut paneer into cubes.
• Heat a kadai add 1 1/2 tsp of oil add the paneer pieces and shallow fry the paneer pieces till light golden in colour. Transfer on a tissue paper.
• Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadai, add elaichi, dalchini and laung, when they crackle add onion, ginger and garlic. Let the onion cook till it changes colour.
• Add grated tomato and stir well. Let the tomato cook well. Add jeera powder, coriander powder, salt, kashmiri red chilli powder and mix well.
• Once the masala is cooked add sugar and the cooked dal. Mix gently.
• Add the paneer pieces and garnish with cinnamon powder and cardamom powder.

Tips:

• You can use ghee in this recipe instead of oil, it gives a very distinct and good flavour.
• Paneer pieces can be deep fried.
• Raw paneer pieces can be added, but I prefer to fry the paneer.
• Once the paneer is fried , it can be drained on a tissue paper. Paneer pieces can also be soaked in water (or salt water), it helps keep the paneer soft.
• The chana dal for this recipe should not lose its shape. It should hold its shape hence do not overcook.
• If you soak the dal the cooking time of the dal would be reduced.
• Instead of grated onion you can grind the onion in the mixie. The same applies to tomato, ginger and garlic.
• Ready-made ginger garlic paste can be used instead of fresh ginger and garlic, however, I feel fresh paste give better taste...its healthy too!
• The consistency of this dal is quite thick, it does not have a very thin consistency.
• The recipe given above gives two servings! its a treat for those who love paneer.
• This recipe taste good with any type of roti...you can also have it with rice!!!

Aamer dal

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dhooli masur dal

1 3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp haldi

1 green chilli slit into two

1/2 medium sized raw mango

for the tempering

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp kalonji

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp coriender

Method:

• peel the raw mango and cut it into thick 4 slices.
• wash the dal and keep aside.
• In a cooker add the washed dal, sliced raw mango, green chilli, 1 cup water, haldi and salt. Close the cooker and cook on medium flame till one whistle, sim the gas and cook for 3 mins and turn the gas off. let the pressure drop by itself.
• for the tempering, heat a kadai, add oil on medium flame. Add kalonji, when it crackles, add the cooked dal and 3/4 cup of water, bring the dal to a boil on medium flame. Add sugar and coriander.
• boil for 1 min and turn off the gas.
• serve hot.

Tips:

• you can add combination of moong and masur dal.
• this dal is very good for summers.
• you can use ghee for the tempering instead of oil. you can also use combination of ghee and oil.
• if the raw mango is too sour increase the quantity of sugar.
• sugar can be substituted with jaggery.
• when you add water to cooked dal always add hot or luke warm water.
• incase you want more spice add 1 green chilli in the tempering.
• you can add 1 full small peeled raw mango, if you like to have the seed of the mango.
• the mango pieces should retain their shape after it is cooked hence do not over cook. For this preparation, the dal also should not be in a mashed form after it is cooked hence do not overcook the dal.
• if you like the dal to be cooked much more, cook the dal after the tempering. Cooking it in the cooker will overcook the raw mango and the raw mango will get mashed in the dal. Alternatively you can cook the dal to one whistle, release the pressure and then add raw mango and cook it for another whistle.Alternatively,you can also soak the dal for sometime.
• recipe given above is good for 2 serving.
• serve this dal with plain rice!