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Good old Toor Daal (Pigeon Pea soup) and Chawal(Rice) today. Comfort food for any day!
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I remember sneaking out to my neighbors’ house every few days when I was 9 or 10, to eat some Daal Chawal. They used to make Toor Daal every 3-4 days and mostly the same recipe. It was a simple preparation, sometimes with tomatoes, sometimes without, and just a mild Chaunk/Tadka with bay leaf and red chili. A very few times there would be mustard seeds. But mostly It was the Toor Daal(split Pigeon Pea) in all its glory.
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Like all Daal(lentil soup/stew) recipes, this is very flexible to taste. Add more spices or herbs, spice mixes, different types of chili, add garlic and/or ginger. Try out Paprika, dry whole red chili or green chili, Aleppo pepper flakes, poblano.. the taste of the Daal will change.
It was sunny in Seattle after a bunch of cloudy months! That means its almost like a state holiday. Everyone is on the road. And the city looks so gorgeous.
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Toor Daal with Bay Leaf and crisp Cilantro (Pigeon Pea soup) with Jeera Rice
Comfort food for any day! A vegan and gluten free recipe.Â
Ingredients Â
- 3/4 cup Toor Daal, Split pigeon Pea
- 2 cups water
Tadka/Chaunk/Tempering:
- 2 Teaspoons organic canola oil or coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed, Raee
- 2 bay leaves, tejpatta
- a generous pinch of asafetida, hing
- 1 whole red chili broken into 2, or 1 green chili chopped
- 3-4 Tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Variations:
- Add 1/4 teaspoon paprika or 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder to the tadka
- Add greens with the cilantro.
- Add 2-3 tomatoes.
- Add a teaspoon of Tamarind pulp
InstructionsÂ
- Wash and soak daal/lentils for half an hour. If not using pressure cooker then soak for atleast 4 hours.
- In pressure cooker or a medium deep pan, add oil and heat on medium heat.
- Test the heat by adding a few mustard seeds to the oil; if they crack immediately, the oil is ready.
- Add mustard seeds, and after a few seconds, add bay leaves and red chili/green chili, stir for 10-15 seconds.
- Add the chopped cilantro and cook for a minute or so until it crisps up.
- Add the tomatoes and turmeric. Mix well and cook covered until tomatoes are half done.(3-4 minutes)
- Rinse Daal and add with water and salt. Mix.
- Pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium, or cook covered for 20-30 minutes on medium-low, or until daal is starts to mix with the water.
- Serve hot with fresh cumin Rice.
- Add lemon juice if needed. Or serve along with some Indian Pickle/Achar.
Notes
Cumin Rice: In a deep pan, add a teaspoon of oil, add 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds, heat on medium till fragrant. Add washed 1/2 cup of Basmati rice. Mix and add 1 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste. Mix and cook partially covered until rice is done. Serve hot.
Nutritional values based on one serving without rice
Nutrition
Calories: 213kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 5g, Sodium: 174mg, Potassium: 942mg, Fiber: 19g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 875IU, Vitamin C: 42.1mg, Calcium: 54mg, Iron: 3.9mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
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If you have 2 hours to spare, then here is a fantastic Debate on Intelligence Squared’s 2012 series of debates. A look at the ethics of eating meat. Six speakers are divided into two teams for lively and insightful arguments for and against the proposition, ‘Animals Should Be Off the Menu’.
Speaking for the proposition are Peter Singer, Philip Wollen(who is a patron and on the Advisory board of VSPCA, India). And Veronica Ridge; against it, Adrian Richardson, Fiona Chambers and Bruce McGregor. Their cases are followed by questions from the floorand finally, the audience vote. Though I hoped that the for speakers would stick to vegan terminology more than vegetarian, it is still a very well spoken debate with amazing points by the audience too.
Richa, this looks so good!! Just happened to read your blogs and now I have bookmarked it to try new recipes!
Thanks Jaya! Do let me kno when you try some!
Daal fry nice!
Oh yes, this’s comfort food. Dal tadka is a weekly fare at my place, hubby loves it, so do I 🙂 Love your pictures, Richa!
Thanks Nashira. They are half way as pretty as yours:)
Pigeon Pea has got to me the coolest name out there for a food 🙂 I love that. And this recipe is going to be on my dinner menu (as are most all of your recipes) for the week! xo
hehe.. i can give you lots of interesting names , then you will end up making indian food everyday!
This looks so delicious. I have to cook more indian food. I always loved the taste of indian spices & meals.
This is not a meal I’ve had often, I don’t eat a lot of Indian food (which is surprising, since I love spice). It looks delicious though!
Thanks Heather. You should give it a try. Daal soups are easy once you try making some!:)
i think i need to break down and buy all of these indian spices so i can make my own indian food every night. this must taste so amazing over the rice. i wish you were my next door neighbor.
I can send you a package of spices:) then you will have to make some of the recipes!:)
for real?!?! that would be amazing!
This is the staple meal in our house and the most comforting too. Lovely clicks and a delicious looking dal-chawal.
Thank you! 🙂
my kind of comfort food…. out of all the dals, i like toor dal the most. give me a toor dal fry or toor dal tadka any day and i will never say no.
in fact when i became a vegetarian in my teens, i would tell my mom to make toor dal everyday for me.. and she would say.. you will get bored having it everyday… i told her…no, never… and it is still today like this…..
toor dal, rice, sabzi, kuchumber, pickle, makes a complete and comforting food for me.
lovely pics of the dal and rice… sometimes it is so difficult to photograph indian food like the dals and curries… i actually struggle in my head when i have to photograph indian food.
welcome to the club.. i usually am at a loss too:) I dont really like the way the pictures turned out.. but not everything ca be perfect.. the Daal of course is:)
happens with me too… sometimes the pics don’t turn out good.
I’m not hungry, it’s 30 mins to midnight, and yet once again you have me craving curry 😛 your dishes always look so beautifully delicious, Richa! Yum 🙂
Thanks Char! i was up, so decided to finish up the post:)