Ever since I got married, when I talk about dahl, my husband & my sister-in-law boast about how good their mother’s dahl-this one particular recipe is. It took me a year to ask her-what her secret ingredient has been all these years. She goes ‘Garam masala’. I would have never added garam masala to dahl-in a million of years. The thought would’ve never crossed my mind.
I tried yesterday and now I know why, people go gaga over it. I used Channa Dahl. Ask for it in Indian stores-they’d give you these beautiful semi-circled lentils. So easy, full of flavour. Delicious <3
You need:
- Channa dal-1/2 cup
- Onion-1-chopped fine.
- Tomato-1 chopped fine
- Garam masala-1 tsp
- Green chilies -2 slit
- Turmeric-1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
- Mustard & Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp each
- Hing/Asafoetida-1 pinch
- Curry leaves-1 sprig
- Coriander leaves-finely chopped-3 Tbsp
- Water-1.5 cups
- Oil-1 Tbsp (Mama-in-law said 4 Tbsp-for the best tasting dahl, but 1 should be fine, I guess)
Method:
- In a pressure cooker/stockpot, add water, 1/2 tsp turmeric, channa dal and cook until mushy. Add salt whilst hot and mash well.
- In a pan, add oil, heat it really well, add mustard seeds, they’ll start to pop, then add cumin seeds, reduce heat, add hing & curry leaves.
- Once curry leaves pop, add onions,1/2 tsp of remaining turmeric. Fry until brown.
- Then add green chilies and tomato and fry until tomatoes are done. Add garam masala and mix well.
- Add dal to this, add another 1/2 cup water and let them all boil well for 5 minutes.
- Now, add coriander leaves and serve with rice 🙂
Do you love channa dahl? You gotta try this lemony no onion-garlic version
Garam Masala Dahl
Ingredients
- Channa dal-1/2 cup
- Onion-1-chopped fine.
- Tomato-1 chopped fine
- Garam masala-1 tsp
- Green chilies -2 slit
- Turmeric-1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
- Mustard & Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp each
- Hing/Asafoetida-1 pinch
- Curry leaves-1 sprig
- Coriander leaves-finely chopped-3 Tbsp
- Water-1.5 cups
- Oil-1 Tbsp
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker/stockpot, add water, 1/2 tsp turmeric, channa dal and cook until mushy. Add salt whilst hot and mash well.
- In a pan, add oil, heat it really well, add mustard seeds, they’ll start to pop, then add cumin seeds, reduce heat, add hing & curry leaves.
- Once curry leaves pop, add onions,1/2 tsp of remaining turmeric. Fry until brown.
- Then add green chilies and tomato and fry until tomatoes are done. Add garam masala and mix well.
- Add dal to this, add another 1/2 cup water and let them all boil well for 5 minutes.
- Now, add coriander leaves and serve with rice 🙂
That’s awesome never knew garam masala would add a lot of taste in daal..Will try it soon, Thanks to aunty 😀
Thanks Malar <3 Will pass on the message
Garam masala in dal – sounds interesting and flavorsome. …
Thanks Chits <3
Such beautiful photos Charanya… yummy dahl 🙂 Making me hungry! 🙂
Awww. Thanks <3
Looks so appetizing!!
Thank you <3