Khichree - The Bong style (Khichuree)

For everyone, Khichree has been a comfort food since ages. Its history can be traced back to the Mughals. I am quite interested to know how the food of the nawabs transcended to become 'food of the sick' and is served in ALL hospitals. Whenever someone is sick, he is advised to have only khichree. Moms, grandmoms, great-grandmoms, uncles, aunts, elder sisters - all have prescribed this dish the moment you utter that you are feeling a bit down in the belly.

There are several variants to this dish but what is remarkable is how the bengalis tend to make merry with food and happen to change this plain and sad looking, 'dish of the sick' to a gourmet delicacy! They relish khichree on a rainy day with accompaniments like papads, beguni (brinjal fry), mashed potatoes, ghee and illish Machh bhaaja (hilsa Fish fry). I like mine with an Omlette! There is a strong superstition in my family - whenever it rains, make khichree and see the rain dissappear! I have never understood why this happens with us, but it is true. The clouds stop pouring the moment they get the aroma of my heavenly smelling Khichree :)). So, here is what you require:



1 Cup of Moong Dal
1 Cupe of Rice
7 Tbsps of Peas
3 poratoes - cut into halves
6-7 florets of Cauliflower
1 tiny piece of crushed ginger
1 onion cut broadly
1-2 Bay leaves
2 Tsp Turmeric
Salt
Sugar
Ghee/Oil
2-3 Green chillies
3 cardamoms, 2 cinnamon, 6 cloves
2 Tsps of Garam Masala
2 Tsp of Cumins seeds


Take a large bottomed frying pan and add the moong dal. Roast the moong dal slightly till golden brown. Once you see that the dal is turning a bit brown, remove it and wash it in cold water. Wash the rice and put it in a pressure cooker along with the Dal. Add the potatoes, Turmeric, salt, sugar and green chillies and close the lid. Let the cooker whistle for 4-5 times and switch of the gas. Let the cooker cool down. Alternatively, you could use a heavy bottomed pan and cook it slowly for 15mins - till the dal and rice gets cooked.

Now, take a separate frying pan and add the ghee. When the ghee gets hot, add the cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon and the chopped onions. Now, add the caulifower florets, green peas and stir-fry them in the ghee. Add the cumin and ginger and fry till the onions are brown. Now, add the khichree from the cooker and pour a bit of water to regulate the consistency. Let it simmer for 5-6mins. Add the garam masala powder.
Serve it with hilsa fish fry or papad or beguni.

Urad Dal (Kalaier Dal)

This is the slimy one. It's white in colour and gets quite slippery once cooked. To makes matters worse, Bengalis tend to add fresh Radish to it. Though I love every bit of it, some people may think otherwise. This one is pretty easy to cook and requires fennel seeds to be tempered with, unlike the other Dals where you mostly use cumin or mustard seeds. This goes great with Alu Posto (Potato-poppy seed curry) or Alu Jhinge (Ridge Gourd - poppy seed curry). So, here it goes:

Kalai-er Dal

2 Cups of Kalai(Urad) Dal
1/2 Tsp of Chopped and crushed ginger
1 Tsp of Fennel seeds
1 Bay Leaf
1 dried chilli
A pinch of asfoetida(or hing)
Oil/Ghee
Salt
1 Tsp Sugar
1Tsp Turmeric(Haldi)

Wash the Urad Dal well in water and boil the Dal in water for 25mins. When you see that the Dal has become soft yet not dissolved, you will know that the Dal is ready to be tempered. In a separate, heavy bottomed utensil, add Ghee/oil. Let the Oil get heated. Add the bay leaf, Dry Chilli, hing and the fennel seeds. Stir for 10secs and add the ginger. Now, pour the boiled Dal. Add the Salt, sugar and turmeric. Let the Dal boil for 3-5mins. Put off the gas after that. Alternatively, you could add some radish while boiling the Dal. Trust me, it tastes really nice:)!

Moong Dal

Moong Dal is a Dieter's Dal - light on the stomach, nutritious and easy to digest. Probably that's the reason why it is used for making Khichree. This is one Dal which is roasted prior to cooking and this gives its taste. Though i am not sure how this is made in Maharashtra but I definitely know that Bengalis have quite a few variants to this Dal. The most common one is the one which is made with the Rohu(Carp) Fish Head (yes, with the eye and mouth and all..lol). I like the one which is made with bottle gourd (Lauki) and I am going to share this recipe with you. This is for all those who think Bottle Gourd is and should be used for sweets only!.. Ask a Bong and he can tell you atleast 5 ways to cook Bottle gourd. Before I begin, I must tell you that though I am a fan of this vegetable and I hate it when people (including my husband) crib about it, but I had a good laugh once, when I met a friend at my dance class and her Surname was Lau (Bottle Gourd in Bengali)! Poor thing didn't have much choice - hopefully her name must have changed after marriage!

Moong Dal with Bottle Gourd (Lau or Lauki or Ghia)

2 cups of Moong Dal
1 entire Bottle Gourd, peeled and cut into small semi circles of 1 inch thickness
1 Tsp cumin seed
Salt
Sugar
2 Green Chillies
1 small peice of Ginger (shredded)
Oil/ghee

Take a heavy bottomed utensil and put it on the gas. Add the Moong Dal and stir it till the Dal turns golden brown in colour. Now pour the dal in an another utensil and wash it thoroughly in cold water. Once washed, place the dal with some water on the gas once again and let it boil for 25mins. Add the pieces of Bottle gourd and boil it till it gets soft. Alternatively, it can be done in a pressure cooker and after 3 whistles, the dal is boiled.

Take a separate utensil and put it on the gas. Add Ghee/Oil and add the Cumin Seed, green chillies, stir for half a minute. Now, add the Dal and stir it well. Let the Dal simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and then our it in a separate utensil. Add chopped Coriander.

You must serve this with plain, boiled rice.

Chana Dal (Chholar Dal)

Chana Dal has always been my mom's specialty dish. I still remember the taste of her aromatic chana Dal (Chholar Dal in bengali), topped with fried coconut pieces and roasted garam masala! Whenever I make Chholar Dal or Chana Dal, I go through the memory lane, how I would sit on the kitchen slab and chat with her and she would chat with me while cooking the Dal and multitasking at the same time. It would always be delicious and though what I make nowadays is a pretty decent one, but it is never the same as hers. She was a magician, I have always believed that!. But, here is the one that I cook and as I said before, it is definitely worth a try:)

Chholar Dal (Chana Dal)

3 Cups of Chana Dal
1 Tsp of Turmeric (Haldi)
1 Tsp of Red Chilli Powder(Lal Mirch)
1 Bay Leaf(Tejpatta)
2 Cardamoms, 1 Cinnamon, 5-6 Cloves (Crushed into tiny pieces)
2 Tbsp of coconut slices (Optional)
Oil/ghee
Salt
2 Tsp of Sugar
1 Tsp of Cumin Seeds

Wash the Chana Dal in flowing water 2 or 3 times and put it in a pressure cooker. Let the whistle blow for 8 to 9 times. Put off the gas and let the Dal to cool down.

Once the Dal is cooled, take a heavy bottom utensil and put the ghee (or oil). Let the ghee get warm. Add the Bay leaf, Cumin seeds, Crushed Garam Masala (Cardamom, Clove and Cinnamon) and stir for 1 min. Add the Turmeric powder and coconut pieces/slices. Now, pour the Chana Dal and let it simmer for 5-6 mins. Add Salt and sugar and Red chilli powder. Let it boil for 7-8mins. Put off the gas. Pour the Dal in the utensil in which you want to serve. You can serve this is Pooris or fragrant Pulao as accompaniments.

Masoor Dal

I have always found Masoor Dal to be very pretty looking and extremely mysterious. A beautiful orange coloured Dal which turns golden yellow when cooked. Now, how interesting is that! Moreover, it doesn't mix and dissolve into the water so easily. This is one Dal where the water can be easily separated and can be had like a soup! Unfortunately, our most common association with Masoor Dal water is with the ones which are served in the Hospitals and I am sure after that unless and until one is on a diet or has been prescribed to take, no one would like to have it at home:(.. Well, but that should not dilute my affinity for it. It has a very different taste and with the right accompaniments, it simply tastes heavenly:).

So, here is one simple recipe which I have been cooking for ages. It is not only easy to cook but great for Indian Summers.

Masoor Dal

2 Cups of Massor Dal (or Split orange lentils)
2 Tbsp of chopped Onions
1 Tsp of Turmeric(Haldi)
1/4 Tsp of Fenugreek(Methi) seeds or 5 spices(Paanch Phoron)
2 Green Chillies
1 Tbsp Chopped Coriander leaves
1 Tbsp of Oil/Ghee
Salt

Wash the Masoor Dal in flowing water for 3 or 4 times and put the Dal along with some water in a heavy bottomed utensil. Put it on the gas and let it simmer.
Alternatively, it can be done in the pressure cooker and that is definitely a faster and more economical method(you save gas, that's why!). 5 whistles and you are ready!

Whichever method you use, once you see that the Dal looks broken and yet not completely dissolved in the water, it is ready to be tempered with the Spices and Onion.

Take another utensil and put it on the gas. Add 1 Tbsp of Oil (Or ghee) and add the chopped onions. Once the onions are a bit brown, add the Fenugreek seeds. As soon as they look a bit browner, add the Dal.

Let it simmer for a minute or two. Add the green Chillies, Turmeric and Salt. Let it boil for another 4 minutes. After that, you can put of the gas and transfer the cooked Dal in an appropriate utensil for serving. Add the Dhaniya or Coriander leaves on the top.
You can serve it with fritters (Pakoras) or with Poppadums (Papad) and hot, boiled Rice.

Toor Dal

Did you know that Toor Dal has the most interesting English name and it's called Split Pigeon Peas? Well, my association with Toor Dal started 3 years ago when I got married into a Maharashtrian family. Since then, it's been part of our meals and I have developed a taste for it too. Today I am going to share with you a simple recipe of Toor Dal. Before I begin, I would like to mention for the 'health conscious' people, Toor Dal is high in protein content and is light on the stomach too!


Easy Toor Dal


2 cups of Toor Dal (Split Pigeon Peas..lol)
1 Tbsp of Mustard Seeds
A pinch of Asfoetida (hing)
Half Tsp of Turmeric(Haldi)
2 Green Chillies
1 Tsp of Sugar
Oil or Ghee
Salt

Quick Method to boil the Dal - Wash the Dal in water by rinsing it in flowing water 3 or 4 times and put the Dal with water in a pressure cooker. After 5 whistles, put off the gas and let the Dal cool down

Time consuming but tastier Method - Wash the Dal in water by rinsing it in flowing water 3 or 4 times and put the Dal in a heavy bottomed Karahi or Utensil and put to Boil. Stirring it from time to time, bring it to a boil and let it simmer for good 30mins. As soon as you see that the dal has broken down and has become soft, it is ready. Put of the gas and let it cool down a bit.

Once the Dal has been boiled, it is ready to be tempered with spices. Take a fresh utensil and put it on the gas. Put one and a half Tbs of Oil (Ghee for the ones who can afford to have it!) and let it get heated.
Once the oil gets heated, put the asfoetida and mustard seeds in it. Fry them for 15 secs. A lot of people prefer to put curry leaves at this time but it's not something that is preferred by my dear hubby so I make it sans it.
Once the mustard seeds start crackling, put the Turmeric and green chillies and then, pour the boiled Toor Dal. Stir the Dal till the Turmeric is well dissolved. Add the salt and sugar and bring the Dal to boil. Don't boil it too much or else the Dal will completely break and dissolve!.. After 3-5mins, you can switch of the gas and our the Dal in a Dal handi for serving. You can serve it with boiled rice or have it with Rotis. Wasn't that simple?

Btw, there is a sweet and sour variety (Khati Dal) and in that you can use a Tsp of Tamarind paste when the Dal is getting boiled. That also tastes yummy:)!