Toi~ Dal The Goan Way

Like I have said somewhere here in this blog not many people are aware that Goan have a number of delicious vegetarian dishes!

 Today on the last day of BM I will like to share one delicious Goan Dal.

 The vegetarian dishes are made " satvik" no onion, no garlic. Difficult to believe but Goans are a deeply religious lot and there days in a week when the average Goan goes "Shivrak" that is vegetarian... . Reluctantly, of course but they do adhere to the age old custom!

So on days the Goan is "shivrak" he/she has "chanyacho ras", some vegetable, rice, batat kapa (which are shallow fried potatoes) and rice, toi .

Chanyaco ras is made using peas, vegetable is many times radish or ridge gourd but toi is dal.

Fragrant and delicious!!

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.

Triveni Dal

“Dal (also spelled Dahl or Daal, or Dhal) is a preparation of pulses (dried lentils, peas or beans) which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick stew prepared from these pulses, an important part of Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, West Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine. It is regularly eaten with rice and vegetables in southern India, and with both rice and roti (wheat-based flat bread) throughout northern India and Pakistan. Dal is a ready source of proteins for a balanced diet containing little or no meat.

It provides an excellent source of protein for the Indian subcontinent, particularly for those adopting vegetarian diets or diets which do not contain much meat. Dal is typically around 25% protein by weight, giving it comparable protein content to meats. Dal is also high in carbohydrates whilst being virtually fat free. Dal is also rich in the B vitamins thiamine and folic acid as well as several minerals, notably iron and zinc.”

These words that I have copied from Wikipedia indicate how important dal is in our vegetarian meal.

 I make it a point to make dal everyday but the fact remains that I generally make it only in one particular way day in and out so that becomes boring and then it is rejected at the table.

So for this BM I choose dal as my theme. At least then I will try a newer variety that is the general idea. 

Oats Bisi Baali Huli Anna

Oats the wonder grain is a new addition to our diet. The most easily available (read I have not checked) form being the rolled oats that I try making on a regular basis. The girls refuse to do anything with it claiming all sorts of reasons from downright stinks to tastes yucky. We have heard them all.

So how do I get them in them? Well I sneak them in like today’s Sunday special being Bisi Baali Huli Anna. Their favourite!!

I generally do not make the masala that Amma used to make for making this rice so special.  I promise I will post the authentic recipe soon. In fact I am surprised that I have not posted the recipe as yet.   No wonder so many of you have commented that I have Goan style cooking featured in my space. Maybe because cooking Karnataka style food is comfort cooking.

Ghhat Varan

When I was newly married I wondered why my MIL boiled extra Toor daal and kept a big ball of it in the fridge. But being very vague about the quantities needed and totally inexperienced I kept quiet.

The reply to my question was in the evening when guests dropped in and were to have food. The way this ball of daal was transformed was amazing not only is it tasty, high in protein content it is also easily made.

The meaning of Ghhat is thick or hard Varan is daal in Marathi so in English it will translate as hard cereal?

Ingredients:

Boiled toor daal (say about the size of a tennis ball)

 1 or 2 Onions, chopped fine

1 tblspn thick tamarind juice

A marble sized ball of jaggery

2 tblspn oil

Mustard

Hing/asafoetida

Jeera

Turmeric

Red chilli powder

Salt

Coriander

Method:

1.       Soak the jaggery in the tamarind juice.

2.       Mix in the onion and toor daal ball land salt.

3.       Heat the oil add the mustard, jeera, hing/asafoetida, turmeric, lastly red chilli powder. This is the vagarni/phodni/bhagar.

4.       Mix immediately in the bhagar.

5.       Garnish with coriander and serve with chapatti.