Day 14: Dal Bukhara

Kali dal or Dal Bukhara

We continue with the weekend indulgence with this special and yummy dal!

Now my mom tells me there are many ways to make this depending on your level of patience. The perfect way is to cook it in a slow cooker for 10-12 hours.

With the household chores to do , she does not have the time to do this perfect way right now and dad will definitely not run through .

The quick way will end up tasting like a decent dal but it will be a blasphemy to dal Bukhara.

So instead we go with the in between.

And here it is …. enjoy with lachha paranthas( layered paranthas ) some green chutney and some plain yogurt!

Ingredients

1. 1 cup black dal

2. 1/5 cup rajma ( kidney beans )

3. 1 medium onion

4. 7 medium tomatoes

5. 3 tbsp tomato purée

6. 2 tbsp ginger garlic

7. 2 bay leaves

8. 1 black cardamom

9. 1 tsp salt

10. 1/4 tsp pepper

11. 1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)

12. 2 tsp dhaniya ( coriander powder)

13. 1 tsp chilli powder

14. 1 tsp garam masala

15. 1 tsp jeera ( whole cumin)

16. 4 tbsp oil

17. 100 gms butter

18. 3-5 tbsp cream

19. Freshly chopped dhaniya ( coriander)

Method

1. Wash dal and rajma a few time’s and soak in a large pot of water overnight

2. Next morning, drain water and transfer the dal and rajma to a pressure cooker . Add just enough water so that it covers the dals by 1” .

3. Add salt bay leaves, black cardamom and haldi and close lid and close lid of pressure cooker

4. Turn on flame to medium and let it whistle for 2-3 whistles and then switch off gas and let it rest.

5. Chop onions and tomatoes into very small pieces

6. Grind garlic ginger in a mixie.

7. Take a very heavy based pot , heat the oil and add jeera . Stir for a min till it starts to splutter.

8. Add the ginger garlic , stir for 20 seconds and add the chopped onions. Stir till it is brown but not dark.

9. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir for 20-25 min till it is all nicely mixed and till oil starts to come out of the masala

10. Add the coriander powder and the chilli powder . Stir for two min

11. Add the tomato purée and stir for two min

12. Now check if the pressure cooker has let off the steam by lifting the whistle.

13. Open lid and add the dals to the pot

14. Mix very gently so the that dals don’t break.

15. Reduce flame to low and add butter

16. Cover it and let it cook for the next 2 hours.

17. Occasionally stir and check if it is not sticking to the bottom. That will happen only if the water is less.

18. After cooking it for 2 hours , add the cream . Stir only once.

19. Leave it for 2 min and switch off gas.

20. Garnish with fresh coriander.

This can be made in a large batch which we are too doing. Do not freeze with the cream . Skip step 19 before freezing . Add cream only before serving.

Another thing which my mom does if she’s too busy to keep an eye while it’s cooking for two hours is to put the pot/ wok on a tava or a flat heavy pan so it does not burn .

It’s superbly yum if I may say and I hope you enjoy it!