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Adai

Adai is a type of dal dosa and a popular Tamilian breakfast. It’s very nutritious and protein packed since it uses so many dals (lentils). It’s healthy, tasty as well as filling and the best part is, you don’t have to ferment the adai batter. To make it tastier, you can also add finely chopped onion or cabbage or both to the adai batter.

Recipe of adai (dal dosa)

1/2 cup rice

1/4 cup toor dal (arhar dal/ red gram)

1/4 cup dhuli urad dal (split, skinless black gram)

1/4 cup chana dal (Bengal gram)

1/4 cup dhuli moong dal (split, skinless green gram)

2 green chillies

Salt to taste

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Few curry leaves

Oil to shallow fry

1. Wash and soak rice and dals for 2-3 hours. Drain.

2. Grind dals and rice in a blender adding little water into a coarse paste. Remember not to add too much water as the batter for adai is usually thick.

3. Add salt, hing and curry leaves to the batter. Beat the batter well.

4. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle). Grease it and wipe off the excess oil. Pour a ladleful of batter in the center of the tava.

5. Spread it in the circular motion to make a round. Drizzle some oil around the edges and on top of the adai.

6. When the underside is cooked, turn over and cook from other side also till brownish. Similarly make other adai from rest of the batter. Serve adai hot with chutney or chutney powder.

urad chane ki dal

Urad chane ki dal is also known as maa-chole ki dal in Punjabi. It’s a delicious combination and you can use either skinless, split urad dal or split urad dal with husk. Urad chana dal is also a dhaba special dal and they also serve it with the same Punjabi tadka (tempering).

Recipe of urad chane ki dal

3/4 cup dhuli urad dal (split black gram)

1/2 cup chana dal (split Bengal gram)

2 tomatoes- chopped

1 medium onion- chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp garam masala

1. Wash and soak urad dal and chana dal for 1 hour. Drain. Place both dal along with enough water, salt and red chilli and turmeric powders in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook till tender.

2. Mash dal with the back of a ladle (karchhi).

3. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing.

4. Add onion and fry till light brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 minute.

5. Add tomatoes and cook till oil begins to separate.

6. Add this tempering or tadka to the boiled dal and mix. Add garam masala and give 1 boil to dal, then let it simmer it on low heat for 5 minutes, covered. Serve hot urad chane ki dal garnished with coriander leaves.

Chana dal pulao is a hearty pulao which needs a little planning but well worth it. Every spoon full is a delight. Tastes best when served hot on cold wintry days like the days ahead.

Recipe of chana dal pulao

1 cup long grain basmati rice

1/2 cup chana dal (split Bengal gram)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

4 laung (cloves)

1 piece of dalchini (cinnamon)

2 moti elaichi (brown cardamom)

2 tej patta (bay leaves)

Salt to taste

3 cups of water

1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)

1. Wash and soak chane ki dal for 2 hours, drain. Wash and soak rice for 20 minutes, drain.

2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, brown cardamom and bay leaves. Fry till they splutter and change color.

3. Add chana dal and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add water and salt. Close the lid of the cooker and pressure cook to 2 whistles. Let the pressure drop down naturally before opening the lid of the cooker.

4. Add rice and pressure cook to 1 whistle. Let the pressure drop down. Open the lid and take out on a serving platter. Serve hot chana dal pulao with curds and salad.

I am writing after about half a month. I am dedicating this post to my late father Mr. Sat Prakash Gupta who expired on 9^th of this month.

I remember him not just because he was my father but also because he was a source of inspiration to me. A true ‘karmayogi’, he lived the teachings of ‘Gita’ through his life time. He taught me that one should do his or her ‘karma’ without attachment to its result which is not in one’s hand but God’s hands.  He also taught me the virtue of persistence even during the adversity.  I pray to God that may his soul rest in peace.

Recipe of chane ki dal

1 cup chana dal (split Bengal gram)

3 cups of water

2 green chillies- chopped

1 onion- chopped

2 medium tomatoes- chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 inch piece ginger- chopped

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Chane ki dal

1. Wash and soak chane ki dal for 1 hour. Drain.

2. Place chane ki dal in a pressure cooker along with 3 cups of water, salt, ginger and turmeric powder. Pressure cook to 5 whistles and let the pressure drop down before opening the lid of the cooker.

3. For the tadka or tempering, heat ghee in a small pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing. Add onion and green chillies. Sauté till onion turn light brown.

4. Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes turn soft and pulpy. You can also cover the pan so that tomatoes turn soft quickly.

5. Add this tadka to the dal and cover with a lid so that tadka seep through the dal.

6. Add garam masala and give 1 boil to the chana dal. Let the dal simmer on a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and garnish chane ki dal with chopped coriander leaves. Chane ki  dal tastes great with both rotis and rice.

Lauki chana dal curry

My mom used to make lauki chana dal a lot. She calls it ghiya chane ki dal. My father and I share same liking for bottle gourd so it was made often. My recipe is slightly different than my mom as unlike her, I temper it with onion, tomatoes and garlic. This dish has both vegetable and lentil so it makes wholesome meal with roti or rice. Lauki with chana dal is a combination made by Gujaratis although in the recipe below, I have made it more in a Punjabi style.

Recipe of lauki chana dal

1 medium lauki (bottle gourd, ghiya, doodhi) of 200- 250 grams

1 cup chana dal (Split Bengal gram)

2 medium tomatoes- chopped

1 medium onion- chopped

3-4 cloves garlic

1 inch piece ginger

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of asafoetida

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)

1. Wash and soak chana dal for 1 hour. Peel, wash and cut lauki into 1/2 inch cubes. Crush garlic and ginger together.

2. In a pressure cooker, place channa dal, lauki pieces, enough water, salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Cook till chana dal gets soft.

3. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing. Add onion and sauté till they are translucent.

4. Add ginger- garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Add tomatoes and cook till they are soft and pulpy.

5. Add this tempering (tadka) to the boiled dal and cover the lid. Simmer for few minutes and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

ghiya chana dal

Healthy Bytes- 100 grams of peeled bottle gourd or lauki contains-
12 K calories Energy
0.2 grams Protein
2.5 gms Carbohydrates
0.1 gms Fat