Bhaja moong dal (Bengali roasted moong dal)
The bhaja moong dal is made by dry roasting the moong dal first before cooking it in a simple tempering of paanch phoron with vegetables and finally finished off with a drizzle of ghee and garam masala
Equipment
- Shallow cooking pot
Ingredients
- ½ cup moong dal skinless, petit yellow lentils
- ½ cup peas frozen
- ½ cup carrots cut in 2 cm thick semi-circles
- 1 tbsp ginger freshly grated
- 1 tsp paanch phoron*
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 dried red chilis
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 2-3 fresh chilis slit
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the dal well, air dry and then dry roast them until light pink in colour and fragrant. Be careful and keep stirring continuously so that the dal doesn't burn**
- Remove from flame and add it to a cooker. Pressure cook the roasted moong dal with 1½ cups of water, ginger, turmeric and salt
- When done remove from flame and let the cooker de-pressurise naturally. Then open it's lid and whisk the dal well so as to break it's grains and make it smooth and mushy
- Heat a shallow cooking pot with the mustard oil, until it smokes, then lower the heat and temper it with the bay leaf, dried chilis and paanch phoron
- Throw in the vegetables, mix and toss for 3-4 minutes. Cover and cook, along with 2-3 tbsp of water until 80% done
- Next, pour in the boiled dal, another ½ cup of water (to adjust the consistency if needed), sugar and let it simmer. The dal should reach a thick consistency
- Check for salt and switch the flame off once the dal has reached it's desired consistency. Drizzle over the ghee, garam masala and coriander leaves and let it sit covered for 5 minutes
- Mix well and serve the yummy bhaja moong dal (Bengali roasted moong dal) with steaming hot rice, papad and a wedge of lemon. Enjoy!
Notes
- *Paanch phoron is a Bengali whole spice mix, made by mixing equal parts of mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and onion seeds.
- **Be really watchful, otherwise the dal can quickly burn
- Cauliflower florets also go very well in this dal
- You could make this dal without any vegetables as well
- 1 cup = 250 millilitres
- tbsp - tablespoon
- tsp - teaspoon