Pandemic has brought me closer to my foodie community. I have learnt a lot without stepping out of my comfort zone. There have been so many series of Instalives that sometimes I have not been able to cope up and have caught up by watching IGTV (thank God for that)
Dal divas is celebrated by my food community every January but this year due to pandemic, the celebration happened online and it stretched over 11 days. This is initiated by @Rushinamg and with the help of her #11daysDhal team, I got to learn various types of dhal. 22 different dhals were discussed online.
Generally speaking, I don't normally eat dhal everyday. I get confused with too much variety of food. For lunch, its normally only one cooked vegetable with chappati or rice. Dhal, for eg Moong dhal is usually cooked when there are fried potatoes or bhindi fry. Then we have tidhali (combination of 3 dhals,) that I eat with chappatis, or Channa dhal with Pakwan or Tuddi channa dhal. Sindhi curry is cooked on festive days or when there is family gathering.
I was surprised by the diverse ways the dhal was cooked over 11days. the tempering with pure ghee made the dhal look so appetising. Some cooked dhal with meat (dhal ghosh) and some with fish heads(Bengali Maachar Maatha). Some roasted moong dhal before cooking, some sprouted the beans(Matkichi), some powdered the dhal(Kumaoni Ras) before cooking. Some dried the dhal to make Vadis and some roasted to make sweets(dal da Halwa). I could never have imagined that dhal had so many different ways of cooking and the method varied from region to region, North to South, East to West of India. There were interesting discussions and I tried to watch most of the sessions
I was inspired to cook too. I contributed in a small way by cooking Rajma You may watch the recipe of Rajma on my u-tube channel
And also enjoyed khichdi seasoned with condiments from all over India at Tresind.
This week I prepared Ragda, served it as street food with Patties and it was quite delicious
1. Soak the 2cups Ragda over night.
2. Boil it with 5 whistles.
3. In a pan, 2tbsp heat oil.
4. Add 1tsp Cumin seeds, 2 Bay leaves, 2 Cloves, 2 Cardamoms and 1tsp Chana masala.
5. Add 2finely chopped Onions. Fry till light brown.
6. Add 2tbsp garlic-chili-ginger paste.
7. Add 2 chopped Tomatoes.
8. Add 1tsp turmeric powder, 2tsp coriander powder, 1tsp red chilli powder, 2-3 Kokum flowers.
9. Cook till oil begins to separate.
10. Add the boiled Ragda.
11. Mix it well.
12. Add 2glasses of water.
13. Add salt as per taste.
14. Let it boil.
15. Lower the flame and simmer for 45 minutes.
16. Garnish with finely chopped onions, lime juice, red chili powder, cumin powder and finely chopped coriander leaves.
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