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Mention Dal Chawal in front of any Indian, no matter what their region of origin, and an image of the nation’s leading comfort food pops into every mind. Whether the Chawal in question is basmati or brown rice or red matta rice, and whether the Dal in the case is Dal Tadka, Cholar Dal or Sambhar, the image of Dal Chawal always evokes memories of nourishing meals that are also flavourful. But when it comes to Dal Chawal, your experience of the dish is incomplete until you have tasted Dal Chawal Palida.
Also known as Palita or Palidu, Dal Chawal Palida is a gem of a dish from Bohri cuisine. Your imagination of Dal Chawal may evoke pictures of a thick or thin lentil dish served on top of plain steamed rice, but that’s not what Dal Chawal Palida looks like at all. Instead, this homely Bohri dish has two distinct parts—Dal Chawal, which is a dry dish made of rice and toor dal grains mixed with fried onions, and Palida, which is a gram flour-based curry that looks like a regular Dal!
Video Credit: YouTube/Bohra Recipes
Clearly then, Dal Chawal Palida is a more elaborate and definitely a more unique take on the classic Dal Chawal. The recipe for Dal Chawal Palida is quite easy and anybody can rustle it at home for dinner with the minimum of fuss. The preparation of the Dal Chawal is done separately in a method reminiscent of biryani. The Palida is prepared like a regular curry in a pressure cooker. Here’s the easy-peasy Bohri recipe for Dal Chawal Palida for you to try at home today.
Ingredients:
For the Dal Chawal:-
1 cup basmati rice
½ cup toor dal
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ cup crispy fried onions
Salt, to taste
1 tsp oil
Water, as required
For the Palida:-
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
4 tbsp gram flour
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 nos kokum
Salt, to taste
4 tbsp oil
Image credit: Facebook/Thoughts Over Chai
Method:
1. Rinse and wash the basmati rice and toor dal, and soak both in water for half an hour, but separately.
2. Place the toor dal in a pot with water, turmeric powder and salt, and cook until the dal is 95% cooked.
3. Similarly, place the rice in a pot with water and salt, and cook until 90% done.
4. Drain both the rice and the dal separately. You can reserve the dal water to cook the Palida.
5. Now, arrange the rice-dal, fried onions in layers in a pot.
6. Cook them on a low heat until both rice and dal are 100% cooked. You can also do this process in an oven.
7. Now, proceed to make the Palida while keeping the Dal Chawal warm in the oven.
8. Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
9. Add the chopped onions, chillies and ginger garlic paste.
10. Mix well and continue sauteeing until the onions turn soft and translucent.
11. Now add the gram flour and saute it for a few minutes until it releases a nutty aroma.
12. Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder abd salt.
13. Mix well and now add the tomatoes and kokum.
14. Let the tomatoes soften a bit, then add water and cook the Palida for two whistles.
15. Once the steam is released, open the pressure cooker and mash everything together.
16. To serve the Dal Chawal Palida, lightly mix the Dal Chawal mix and serve on a rice or biryani plate.
17. Place the Palida in a large bowl and serve along with the Dal Chawal plate.
