Some old-school style dal with rice along with fresh curd and pickles is not just a meal but a special feeling for many people. Lentils are nutritious and quite easy to cook at home. One can make it most simply by using bare minimum spices, and at the same time cook it in an extremely extravagant and spicy style as well.
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Dal in India is cooked in a lot of different ways and every state in the country has its special recipe. In summer, many people experience frequent loss of appetite and they do not feel like eating a lot. In this case, making some light dal is a great way to ensure that one is fulfilling their everyday nutritional intake. Here are some summer-friendly dal recipes from different parts of the country that you must try this summer
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* Aam Ki Dal
Aam ki dal is a dream for mango lovers who would love to add a little bit of mangoes and everything that they eat. Aam ki dal is a simple lentil recipe with extraordinary flavours. One has to start by putting some yellow dal in the pressure cooker and cook it until two whistles. Now in this dal, one should add some chopped pieces of mangoes along with sukha dhaniya, mustard oil, turmeric, salt, pepper, and a little bit of chilli. Simultaneously prepare tempering for the dal by taking a bit of smouldering mustard oil and adding some green chillies, curry leaves, and mustard seeds. Carefully temper the dal with this mixture.
* Rajasthani Panchmel
Rajasthani panchmel is one of the most popular lentil curries not just in India but around the world. It is a medley of different flavours as it is made from the amalgamation of five different types of lentils. The five dals that are used to cook this dish include urad dal, masoor dal, moong dal, arhar dal, and chana dal. The pre-preparation required to make this dish is to soak all the varieties of lentils in water and then mix them. These soaked lentils have to be then put inside the pressure cooker and cooked until they are soft and edible.
The tadka is prepared by taking different ingredients like Rajasthani red chillies, green chillies, cloves, cardamom, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and some other spices. The tadka should be then poured over the top of the dal to make a delicious lentil curry in Rajasthani style.
* Bengali Moong Dal
Bengali moong dal is a conspicuous part of the Bengali culinary tradition. If you are a vegetarian and want to try something as appealing as Bengali fish and other non-vegetarian Bengali delicacies, then you must start with the Bengali moong dal. To make this appetising lentil curry, a person will first have to roast dry moong dal in a pan.
After this step, boil the moong dal in a pressure cooker and also add some summer special vegetables like pumpkin to give the boiled dal a new twist. Add a little bit of salt, and red chilli powder along with turmeric after the dal has been boiled. After the dal simmers down, add a little bit of sugar and cumin seed powder in it. The tadka is prepared by taking some mustard oil and adding red chillies, cumin seeds, and bay leaves.
* Maharashtrian Varan
Varn is specially prepared on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra. However, you certainly do not have to wait till Ganesh Chaturthi as it is quite easy to make at home and also very beneficial to the body in summer. It is made by taking yellow dal and soaking it in water overnight. The soaked dal is then put inside the pressure cooker along with a bit of turmeric and tomatoes and then boiled. Tadka is made by taking desi ghee in a pan and adding curry leaves,hing, cumin seeds, chillies, mustard, seeds, and many other spices.
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* Gujarati Dal
Gujarati Thali is one of the most popular lentil recipes on the internet. It takes a maximum of 40 minutes to prepare this dish at home. The dal is cooked in the pressure cooker for 7 to 8 minutes and then mixed with fresh tomatoes, turmeric powder, cumin, seed powder, jaggery powder, ginger, garlic paste, kokum powder, salt, and a little bit of black pepper. Simultaneously a tadka is prepared by heating curry leaves, hing, fenugreek seeds, and mustard seeds in a little bit of desi ghee.