Dal Chawal

★★★★

_Proven, Gluten-Free, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Servings: Servings 4 Source: veganbell.com

Ingredients

Chawal (rice):
2 cups basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3.5 cups water

Dal (lentil):
1/2 cup toor dal (aka Split Yellow Pigeon Peas, or Arhar Dal)
1/2 cup whole masoor dal (aka Brown Lentils)
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 inch ginger (finely chopped)
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 green chili (finely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
1 cup tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 teaspoon dried mango powder (amchur)
1.5 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
2 cups water
1 cup hot water (adjust for desired consistency)
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
Raw onion slices (add-on)
Fresh lemon (add-on)
Green chili (add-on)

Description

Dal Chawal (or Dal Bhat) translates to Lentil Rice. It’s a ubiquitous ‘whole meal’ dish served in the sub-Indian continent.

Lentil or a combination of lentils are pressure-cooked (with or without spices) and is served over cooked rice.

It is served as it is, or with sides like raw/pickled onions, green chilies, papad (poppadums), and fresh lemons. recommended

This is a very forgiving dish when it comes to experimenting – you can try one lentil or 4 lentils (or even beans).

The spices are also super flexible. This particular recipe (my version) uses simple ingredients and spices for an incredible flavor.

Directions

Prepare rice:
In a large bowl, add rice + 4 cups of tap water. Gently wash the rice and discard the starchy water. Repeat this step until the water runs clear.
Transfer the (drained) rice to a thick-bottom cooking pot. Add salt + coconut oil + water. Give it a quick stir.
Cover the pot. Turn up the heat to high and bring it to a boil.
Once it starts boiling, bring down the heat to low-medium and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Once cooked, turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Fluffy rice is ready!
Prepare dal:
In a large bowl, add toor dal + masoor dal. Add 2-3 cups of tap water. Gently wash the lentils and discard the water.
Add 2 cups of water to the bowl and let the lentils soak for a while (we'll cook spices in the meantime).
Set a pressure cooker (jiggle-top / stovetop) over medium heat. For electric pressure cooker, set it to 'SAUTE'.
Add oil. Once it's hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter for 1 minute, or until brown.
Now add onion + ginger + garlic + chili + hing. Stir-saute for 5 minutes, or until they're light brown.
Then add tomato puree + turmeric powder + cumin powder + coriander powder + Kashmiri red chili powder + dried mango powder + salt.
Mix well and stir-cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture turns thick and paste-like.
Then add the soaked (and drained) dals + 2 cups of water to the pressure cooker. Give it a quick stir.
Secure the pressure cooker's lid and seal the pressure valve. For electric pressure cooker set the timer to 15 minutes. For jiggle-top pressure cooker cook for 4 whistles over medium heat.
Once cooked, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally.
Open the lid and mix everything up. Add hot water (you can add/subtract this water content per your desired consistency) + freshly chopped cilantro. Mix some more.

Nutrition