Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Jeera and Pepper Daal

(From Banu's Cookbook)




Ingredients:
1 Cup of ToorDaal (Pressure Cooked)

For Seasoning:
2 Tsp of Urad Daal
2 Tsp of Channa Daal
1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
1 Tsp of Jeeera
1-2 Red Chillies
A few fresh curry leaves
Pinch of Turmeric Powder
Oil

For Masala:
3 Tsp of Jeera
1 Tsp of Whole Black Pepper
10-12 Curry Leaves

For Garnishing:
1/4 Cup of Finely Chopped Coriander leaves

Method:
1. Roast the Curry leaves on a slow fire until it loses its moisture and you can see it drying.
2. Add Jeera and Black pepper and roast for some more time until Jeera turns golden brown.
3. Let this mixture cool to room temperature and then grind it into a fine powder. You can get this masala done while the Toor daal is being pressure cooked with a pinch of turmeric Powder.
4. Heat a pan, add oil and all the seasoning ingredients. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the cooked Daal, Salt and boil for a few mins.
5. Add the ground masala powder and salt, and boil for some more time. You can add some more water if you feel that the daal is too thick.
6. Switch off the heat and garnish the daal with Chopped Coriander Leaves.
7. Serve Hot with Chapathi or Rice.