Menthe Baali Tavi

For the BM this time where I have choosen dal as my theme. And I wanted to share my favorite dal.

Menthe Baali Tavi!!

What is it?

Menthe is fenugreek or methi, Baali tavi is dal generally toor dal cooked, for that matter baali is dal but generally used with cooked dal.

Like any other dal it is cooked (pressure cooking saves fuel and time) with methi /fenugreek and green chillies and then tempered.

Before we proceed in the actual making of the dal I would like to write about the process of cooking the dal. This is because my elder daughter put the dal in the cooker to cook but was surprised that it was not cooked even after 3 whistles. This is the lecture she did not receive, but I wanted to give. :-O

The prerequisite of making any dal that you put on the table is cooking it. If the dal is pre-cooked, then dal you serve gets made faster and the variations are ... sky is the limit but more about that later.

Moong, masoor dals cook faster, they can be cooked on the stove top also easily 20 minutes max. That does not mean you cannot cook toor or chana dal on the stove top, our grandmother have done it down the ages it just takes a lot of time dal, I cannot give you a time frame as I have never tried it. For cooking any dal on stove top you need to stir it occasionally else you will have the dal gracing your stove top.

For cooking dal I use my trusted pressure cooker to cook all dals.

Here, also the toor dal that I have in my pantry does not cook easily; yes there are varieties’ in the toor dal which I am still unable to identify.

 I have classified it as toor dal that cooks easily and that does not.

How to identify or avoid the one that does not cook easily I have not found. Any way I will have no choice there is only one kind gracing the shelves buy it or leave it! So I need to get round it

·       The first thing I do on entering the kitchen is wash, drain and soak the dal say for 10 minutes to 1 hour.

·       Next check the amount of water in the dal it should be at least double the quantity of dal.

·       Add a drop of oil, turmeric, anything else that you want to add, say veggies like radish, drumsticks and transfer it to the cooker. Oil increases the boiling point and prevents the water or dal from overflowing. (This is what our grandmothers used to do and I use it when I have a dal that cooks reluctantly).

·       In the cooker I generally place the dal in the lower containers cover and cook for at least 3 whistles. In case the dal is the kind I have now, something that does not cook easily, I keep it on low flame after the 3 whistle for 4-5 minutes.

·       Let the pressure drop naturally, open and mash the cooked dal with the back of the ladle/ whisk/ immersion mixer or the jar of you blender. If you are using the blender jar wait for the dal to cool. If you are using the ladle mash the dal as soon as you get it out of the cooker.

·       Use it in the recipe as needed.

Here is what you need for

Menthe Baali Tavi

Ingredients:

1 cup Toor dal (my cup for dal is smaller, its about 1/2 the regular cup)

1-2 green chilies (adjust as per taste)

1/2 tsp methi/fenugreek

Salt

For the Tempering

1 tsp oil ( I use Rice Barn)

Mustard

Hing/asafetida

Curry leaves

Coriander

Method:

2.    Toor dal washed and soaked. Add the methi green chilies and cook in the pressure cooker.

3.    Let the pressure drop naturally. Then mash the dal.

4.    Heat oil in a kadhai/wok, splutters the mustard, and add the curry leaves and hing.

5.    Immediately transfer the mashed dal in the tempering. Add the salt.

6.    Bring to rolling boil.

7.    Serve with steaming hot rice, papad and pickle.

Notes:

1.    Tempering made in homemade ghee tastes better.
2. I have added a chopped tomato else it is called yellow water and rejected.

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Linking it to Radhika’s@ Tickling Palates for the month of September

  

  

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