I’m back to blogging with Blogging Marathon #5. Big thanks to Valli for organizing this event yet again and coming up with very interesting themes. I chose “7 Days of Regional Special” and decided to make dishes from Bengal. I was debating whether to go with Rajastani or Bengali dishes since I’ve never tried these before, but finally settled with the Bangla recipes. There are quite a few Bengali bloggers with authentic recipes that I’ve been trying and will be posting for the next 7 days.
For my first recipe, I made this very comforting dal from Sandeepa’s bongcookbook. It’s a simple preparation made with masoor dal and tomato that is tempered with panch phoron. Panch phoron or Panch puran is a mixture of 5 spices, fenugreek, mustard, fennel, nigella and cumin seeds. I bought a packet of panch phoron some time back and have been adding to curries just because I like the subtle flavor the different seeds impart to the dish. But this is the first time I used them in a dal and we really LOVED it. As Sandeepa says in her post that this is a comfort dish, I totally agree with her. It was so easy to make and wasn’t any different from how I make, but the final dish was amazing and oh-so comforting.
Sandeepa’s original recipe here.
- 1 cup masoor dal Red
- 1 Red onion – medium, thinly sliced
- 2 - 3 chilies Green – slit vertically
- 2 Tomatoes – medium, chopped
- 1 tsp Panch phoron
- 6 - 8 Curry leaves
- to taste Salt
- 2 tbsps Lemon juice (or more to taste)
- Pressure cook dal until tender, I cook for 4 whistles in my cooker.
- Heat 1tsp oil in a sauce pan, add panch phoron and curry leaves; once the seeds to splutter, add onions and green chilies. Sauté until onions are lightly browned and translucent.
- Add chopped tomatoes and a pinch of turmeric; cover and cook until tomatoes are mushy, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the cooked dal along with 2-3 cups of water and salt. Bring to a boil on medium high flame, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and mix well.
Serve with steamy hot rice for a comforting meal anytime of the day.
Let's check out what my fellow marathoners have been cooking up today:
Curry in a hurry under 30 min: Priya Suresh, Srivalli, Usha
Seven Days of Colorful Dishes Kid's Special:Vardhini,
Seven Days of Indian Sweets: Harini, Suma, Veena
Seven Days of Regional Specials: Aarthi, Kalyani, Pavani, Shylaja
Under 15 mins Quick Breakfast:Sushma Pinjala
Absolutely love this dal dear ~ I am a panch phoran fanatic :)US Masala
I prepare this dal but never added panch poran!! should try it with that masala.
Woww.. looks amazing and perfect.. thanks for the lovely recipe :)Indian Cuisine
What a comfort food! Mouthwatering..
Looks delicious. Need to get some of the panch poran .. VardhiniVardhinisKitchen
Yummy comfort food and healthy too.Awaiting for more Bengali recipes South Indian Home
Lovely dal…full protein packed..:)
Lovely dal…full protein packed..:)
Dal looks absolutely inviting and marvellous..
Simple and comforting!
colourful and protein packed!!!!!!!!
simple-y delicious dal – a comfort food in our home 🙂
love the texture and colour dear !
Looks so inviting. Wish I had panchporan to try this out…
I love masoor dal..simple comfort dishes!