Scope

Dal (dhal, daal) refers to the variety of split legumes. The word dl is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root dal – “to split”. 5 They include lentils, peas and pulses. These pulses are among the most important staple foods and form an important part of the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Dal is frequently eaten with rotis or chapatis in the Northern states of India, or with rice and rice made dishes such as rice-cakes (idlis), crepes (dosas), etc. in South India. Almost all types of dal come in three forms: (1) unhulled or sabut (meaning whole in Hindi), (2) split with hull left on the split halves, described as chilka (which means skin in Hindi), (3) split and hulled or dhuli (meaning washed). The manner in which it is cooked and presented varies by region. In South India, dal is primarily used to make the dish called sambar. It is also used to make pappu that is mixed with charu and rice. In addition, certain types of dal are fried and salted and eaten as a dry snack, and a variety of savory snacks are made by frying a paste made from soaked and ground dals in different combinations, to which spices, nuts, cashews, etc. may be added. There are a wide variety of dals mentioned in the recipes below. They include:

Pigeon pea, i.e., yellow pigeon peas, is available either plain or oily. It is called thuvaram paruppu in Tamil Nadu, thuvara parippu in Kerala and is the main ingredient for the dish sambar. In Karnataka it is called togari bele and is an important ingredient in bisi bele bath. It is called kandi pappu in Telugu and is used in the preparation of a staple dish pappu charu. It is also known as Arhar dal in northern India.

Chana dal is produced by removing the outer layer of black chickpeas and then splitting the kernel. Although machines can do this, it can be done at home by soaking the whole chickpeas and removing the loose skins by rubbing. In Karnataka it is called kadle bele. Other varieties of chickpea may be used, e.g., kabuli dal.

Yellow split peas are much sought after by the Indian diaspora spread across the Carribean, US, besides India. It is prepared similarly to dals found in India, but may be used in recipes. The whole dried pea is called matar or matar dal in India.
Split mung beans (mung dal) is by far the most popular. It is used in parts of South India, such as in the Tamil dish ven pongal. Roasted and lightly salted or spiced mung bean is a popular snack in most parts of India.

Urad dal, sometimes referred to as “black gram”, is a primary ingredient in the south Indian dishes idli, adai and dosa. It is one of the main ingredients of East Indian (oriya and Bengali or Assamese) bori, sun-dried dumplings. The Punjabi version is dal makhani. It is called uddina bele in Karnataka, biulir dal in Bengali. It is rich in protein.

Masoor dal: split red lentils. In Karnataka, it is called kempu (red) togari bele.
Rajma dal: split kidney beans.
Panchratna dal (Hindi/Urdu) (“five jewels”) is a mixture of five varieties of dal, which produces a dish with unique flavour.

The hulling of a pulse is intended to improve digestibility and palatability. Pulses with their outer hulls intact are also quite popular in the Indian subcontinent as the main cuisine. Over 50 different varieties of pulses are known in the Indian subcontinent.

Ingredient and Process of Cooking

Most dal recipes are quite simple to prepare. The standard preparation begins with boiling a variety of dal (or a mix) in water with some turmeric, salt to taste, and then adding a fried garnish at the end of the cooking process. In some recipes, tomatoes, kokum, unripe mango, jaggery, or other ingredients are added and cooking the dal, often to impart a sweet-sour flavour. The fried garnish for dal goes by many names, including chaunk, tadka and tarka.

The ingredients in the chaunk or seasoning for each variety of dal vary by region and individual tastes. The raw spices (more commonly cumin seeds, mustard seeds, asafoetida, and sometimes fenugreek seeds and dried red chili pepper) are first fried for a few seconds in the hot oil on medium/low heat. This is generally followed by ginger which is generally fried for 10 minutes. After the onion turns golden brown, ground spices (turmeric, coriander, red chili powder, garam masala, etc.) are added viz. then poured over the cooked dal.

Due to their high nutritional value, especially protein (which varies between 9g to as high as 40g in soybeans, per 100 gms), it is a great alternative to meat, for those changing to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. An advantage with whole legumes is that their nutritional value increases tremendously when sprouted and then consumed – whether raw, cooked or ground into a flour.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal

Following ingredients are required for making Ordinary Dal :

  • Water – 1 padi
  • Pigeon Pea(Lentil) – ¼ padi
  • Turmeric Powder – veesam 1/16 r.e
  • Ghee – ½ palam
  • Powdered salt – ¼ palam
  • Method:
  • 1. Boil water in a big pot. Add the pigeon pea, turmeric powder, ghee and mix them well.
  • 2. Then close the pot with a cover.
  • 3. When the lentil has cooked completely like cotton consistency add the powdered salt.
  • 4. Then mash the lentil using a brass ladle. When the water in the lentil has completely absorbed and has become thick, take it off from the stove and serve.

References

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