Rajasthani daal

This is courtesy our family friends from Rajasthan, as is, no modifications. A very different way of cooking daal than how we do it in North of India.

Ingredients

Split Green lentils (moong dal) - 3 fistful
Yellow dried split peas (chana daal) -  ½ fistful

Turmeric Powder (Haldi) -  ½ teaspoon
Chilli Powder -  ½ teaspoon
Coriander Powder (dhania) - ¼ teaspoon 
Green Chilly - 2 (chopped)
Cumin Seed (zeera) - ¼ teaspoon
Mustard Seed (rai) - ¼ teaspoon
Curry Leaves - 3
Asafoetida (Heeng) - 2 pinch
Garam Masala - ¼ teaspoon 
Cumin Podwer (zeera) -  ½ teaspoon
Coriander leaves (dhania) - 4 table spoons (fresh, chopped)
Salt - ½ teaspoon (according to taste)

Cooking Oil - 1 tablespoon
Water - 1 glass (approx.)

Recipe

1. Take 3 fistful of yellow moong daal and 1/2 fistful of chana daal
2. Soak them for 20 to 30 minutes
3. In a small bowl, add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, green chilli and 3 table spoon water to make flowing spice paste
4. Put a cooker on high flame, add oil
5. When oil is hot, add cumin seed, mustard seed, curry leaves and asafoetida
6. Mustard and cumin seeds should not get black
7. Add spice paste
8. When spice paste starts to separate from oil, add soaked lentils and 1 glass of water
9. Add salt (according to taste)
10. Pressure cook on medium for 2-3 whistles
11. Leave cooker for some time so that the steam gets out by itself
12. Open the cooker and check consistency of lentils (add warm water if you want)
13. Put the cooker back on low flame, mash the lentils with spoon or masher
14. Add coriander leaves, garam masala and cumin powder
15. Let the lentils simmer for 5 minutes and cover it (turn off the flame)

Variations

• For Split Red Gram (Arhar daal), do not add Chana daal while soaking, you may also add tomato to spice paste, or may add tamarind paste when simmering.
  
• For Chana daal, add a clove, clack cardamom and a bay leaf to oil with brown mustard seed (rai zeera). Add tamarind or amchoor paste when simmering.
  
• For moong daal chilka, add garlic to spice paste, and when frying whole spices only use cumin seed (do not add mustard seed, curry leaves and asafoetida)