As many Gujaratis are vegetarian, there is a vast array of curries that involve pulses. Here is a traditional Gujarati curry that is very popular in many households. It is simple, fairly quick, very healthy and simple to make.
As this is a dry curry, it goes very well with any tomato-based curries and/or with Kadhi and Rice. We eat it with some ketchup as well! It tastes so good like that!
Do give this recipe a try! Enjoy!
Dry Moong Dal Curry Recipe Cooking Time: 25 Minutes (Approx)
Serves 3-4 People
INGREDIENTS
200g (1 Cup) Moong Dal
3 Spring Onions, Chopped
2 1/2 tspn Ginger-Garlic-Chili Paste
1/4 tspn Red Chili Powder
1/4 tspn Turmeric
2 tspn Coriander-Cumin Powder
3/4 tspn Salt
1 tsp Oil to mix
1 Tbspn Chopped Coriander
2 Tbspn Oil
½ tspn Mustard Seeds
1 Dry Red Chili
1/4 tspn Hing (Asafoetida)
1 Cup Water
1/2 Tomato Thinly Sliced & 1 Tbspn Coriander for garnishing
METHOD
Look over the dal and remove any rocks, stones or bad looking dal.
Rinse the dal several times in water, then soak dal in warm water for 1-3 hours. You can soak it overnight in cold water if you wish.
Then drain all the water from the dal and place the drained dal in a large bowl.
Add the chopped spring onions, all the spices and the teaspoon of oil to the dal and mix it together by hand. This ensures the spices are mixed in properly and prevents the dal from breaking.
Heat oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Let the oil heat up for a minute. Then add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Once they pop, add the dry red chili and the hing and let it sizzle.
Then add the spiced moong dal. Stir gently & fry for about a minute.
Then add 1 Cup warm water. Cover and let it cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Do not stir the dal while it is cooking as the grains are very fragile and will break.
Reduce the heat to low and continue to let the dal cook for another 10 minutes or so until it is done. You’ll know it is done when you press a dal grain between your fingers and it is soft and breaks without any hard grain in the middle. It takes about 15-20 minutes total to cook through completely depending on the type and age of your dal.
Once it is cooked, gently stir the upper dal with a teaspoon as shown in the video.
If you like the dal slightly toasted in the bottom, let it cook for a further five minutes.
Then garnish with thinly sliced tomatoes and 1 Tbspn chopped coriander.
