Friday 24 April 2009

Comfort in a bowl: Kaali Daal and Jeera Chawal

This comes really, really close to comfort in a bowl......nothing sounds better on a lazy evening than a bowl of Daal-Chawal, a staple in many Indian homes, I'd say!

Here is a very simple, but a delicious recipe:

You will need:
1 cup of whole urad ( Black Urad)
2-3 tbsp of rajma ( Kidney Beans)

1 jalapeno- chopped
1 red onion- sliced
2-3 garlic cloves
1 knob of ginger-

make a paste of the ginger & garlic.

2 Large tomatoes- chopped or use 1/2 cup tomato sauce ( to your taste)

2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp of oil
1 tbsp cream (optional) Or Milk
2 pinches of asafoetida
Salt to taste

Method:
- Soak the Urad and Kidney beans (rajma) overnight or at least for 10 hours.
- Cook them separately in a pressure cooker.
- In a pan heat 2 tsp of oil and add the cumin seeds and asafoetida.
- As the seeds begin to pop around, add in the jalapeno,the onions, and the ginger-garlic paste. After 2 mins, add the tomatoes or the sauce. Stir until the oil leaves the sides of the pan.
- Add in the dal and beans with enough water to keep the consistency thick.
- Add salt, turmeric powder, 1 tsp chilli powder, coriander powder and roasted cumin powder.
- Add the garam masala and the cardamom powder along with the cream or milk. Stir well.

Simmer for as long as you can, either on low heat or in the slow cooker, your choice. The taste is worth the wait! Serve hot with Jeera rice or plain rice.

Jeera Chawal:

This is so easy.....but here's the recipe for the newbie cooks out there!

1 cup- your favorite Basmati rice
1 tsp- Ghee
1 tsp- Cumin Seeds
Salt to taste

Soak the rice for at least an hour. In a pan, heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds. When it pops, add the rice and salt, stir. Add around 2.5 cups of water and cook. When the rice is done, drain the rice along with the water and pour some cold water over it to get it really nice and fluffy. Serve with daal.

15 comments:

Anjali Koli said...

I love the creaminess of Kali Dal and mixed with jeera chawal you really think good food is about simplicity. Enjoy!

Pavani said...

Nothing's more comforting than daal chawal. Easy & nutritious too.

chef and her kitchen said...

Nice Comfort food...

Manasi said...

Yep, comfort !! one actually feels the warmth all over after eating kaali daal and rice! add a generous amount of 'makhan' and u have daal makhani!

lubnakarim06 said...

Oh wow really comforting and yum.

Raaga said...

I like this combination :-)

We had jeera rice and chhole today :)

Dori said...

That does look delicious, and very nice dinner :)

Chutneytales said...

Nice combi..Looks so yumm!!

A_and_N said...

OMG, believe it or not, am typing this after a dinner of kaali dal and jeera chawal!

Pooh said...

I always think of kaali dal and jeera chawal as a 'special' dinner because I only eat it in restaurants. But comfort food is about a meal that is simple, filling and pacifying. Your meal accomplished just that!

Supriya said...

Very comforting, filling, nutritious and yummy!

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

I have not heard of anyone who hates daal chawal.I too love it.

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Nice comfort food

Unknown said...

Love the addition of jalapenos. Dall looks Perfect with jeera rice.

weirdcombos said...

This dal soup looks delicious! I never use red kidney beans in my Indian cooking. This is the opportunity! I am a huge fan of Indian food. Your blog is nice and the recipes look amazing. I will be back for more.
Cheers!
Heguiberto
weirdcombinations.com

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