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Is Dal the most overlooked and undermined player in the team of food on our dining table?

Most often, like a Goal keeper in football or the wicket keeper in cricket, Indian meal is incomplete without dal. Yet it never becomes a centre of attraction for Bengali’s where the existence of fish always dominates the meal. 

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Types pf Dal in a Bengali dinner table – Check that out

When I was young,  a traditional Bengali lunch would mean something bitter to start with and most of the times, it used to be Bitter gourd and its various preparations. Then followed a sabji with daal and then to the non veg dish. So dal was almost like the intermediary station to reach the destination of non Veg. Baba was not fond of dal that much as was ma and I didn’t have an opinion. In summers, Shukto used to be relished most. 

Although not favourite, but Kalai or Biulir Dal (which is split white Urad dal) with its slimy texture, a dash of lemon (Gondhoraj preferably), Alu bhate (mashed potato with mustard oil) or Alu posto  is what summer dreams were made of. In winters, Ma would add raddish while making this dal.

Cholar dal and Luchi – the bengali dream 

Cholar dal is integrated with luchi. Chana dal slightly tempered with whole garam malasa, leave aside everything else, this is the best possible combination on a Sunday morning. What are the Dals we Bengalis have on a daily basis? Moong and masoor alternately and sometimes chana dal or toor dal or matar dal. If we remove the traditional ones, then one dal which is worth mentioning and one can rarely find outside Kolkata or West Bengal is the Tadka Dal dhaba Style.While many may disagree with this but the improvisation of adding egg or chicken or mutton to the tadka dal makes it a speciality confined to this state. 

Ever wondered how to make a perfect Bengali Luchi ? Check out the recipe here (Link)

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Dal across India

Travelling the country – while Delhi or northern India will have Rajma Chawal as the staple diet, a Tambram meal is incomplete without Kootu or Misyal which is  slow cooking ridge gourd (peerkangaai) and moong dal along with chillies and spices, later tempered using sesame/ coconut oil as Food and travel show host Rakesh Raghunathan says. Who can forget Sambar, which is an eternal favourite for the Bengalis and many a times I have seen Ma cooking that too. Dal Makhni is popular all across India and many a times a  north Indian cuisine specialist restaurant is judged by its dal makhni. The story is endless.

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Parshe Machher Jhaal - 4
Tomato khejur aamshottor chutney - 2

Parshe Macher Jhaal is a wonderful classic Bengali fish dish which cannot be missed. 

Its a tradition to end a Bengali meal with Tomato Khejur Amshottor Chutney 

Macher muro diye dal is a grand affair 

Macher Muro diye Dal or Dal cooked with Fish head is an exciting proposition altogether. Macher muro diye dal is a grand affair and we Bengalis cannot help but add a non veg element in everything and this is what we do. Just like the Parsi loves Dhansak which is lentils and vegetables cooked with mutton, the macher muro diye dal is something which we love and make it during celebrations.

In my childhood, Ma always used to have the leja or the tail portion of the fish and Baba and I used to have the body. It’s the Muro or the fish head which always had to be re engineered for effective use. Unlike other Bengali dal preparations, where there is just a few tempered spices, this is a heavy variety as it has onions, garlic, ginger and garam masala, making it quite rich. The flavour from the fish head and the thick consistency of the moong dal makes it a complete dish.

Perhaps, this is one dal which does not need any vegetables as a side to go with it. Sometimes when we make this at home, we tend to omit the regular fish curry. 

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The debate will always continue whether its rice or roti which makes a perfect combination for dal as with such a wide array of dal, its tough to make a perfect combination but one thing which all of us should be careful about is dal mein kala. 

Thanks Rushina for celebrating this Dal Divas. It’s not for first time that she is celebrating this as she celebrated Indian masala day on May 20th and we made Panch Mishali torkari, she had also celebrated aam achaar day, Pulao Biryani day, Chai Pakora day, Chutney day (you can try out Cranberry chutney with Panch Phoron here )

Do try this recipe and share your feedback. You can reach out to us at our social media handles: InstagramFacebook or any of our personal Facebook (Madhushree and Anindyaand twitter profiles. Post a picture and tag us.

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Macher muro diye daal. Daal with fish head

Moong dal made with a whole lot of tempered spices and flavoured with fish head. Recipe Author: Madhushree
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Bengali
Servings 4 persons

Ingredients
  

  • 1 no fish head we have used a rohu fish head where the fish was of 1 1/2 kilo
  • 1/2 cup moong dal
  • 1 no small onion finely sliced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 no bay leaf
  • 3 nos cloves
  • 2 nos green cardamom
  • 1 tsp Ginger Paste
  • 1 tsp Garlic Paste
  • 1 small tomato chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Sugar
  • 2 1/2 tbsp refined oil
  • 2 nos green chilies
  • 1 tsp Ghee
  • Salt To Taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash and clean the fish head properly and pat it dry.
  • Rub 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and little bit of salt on the fish head and keep aside.
  • Heat the oil in a kadai or a frying pan and when the oil is hot, fry the fish head. Keep the heat at medium so that the fish head doesn't burn but cooks from inside. It takes about 15 minutes for the fish head to fry properly. Of course the time taken depends on the size of the fish head.
  • When the head is fried, use a slotted spoon to take it out of the pan.
  • Now dry roast the moong dal till it gives fragrance. Do not burn it. Just lightly dry roast it. Then wash the roasted moong dal and drain the water.
  • In a pressure cooker, add 2 1/2 cups of water, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, some salt and the moong dal. Pressure cook for one whistle or 10 minutes or until the dal is cooked.
  • In the frying pan where the fish head was fried, use the same oil to temper the spices. First add the bay leaf, cumin seeds and then the cardamon and cloves. Once they start to splutter, add the onions and fry them.
  • While the onions are frying, add ginger and garlic paste. In another couple of minutes, add the chopped tomatoes and the cumin powder, coriander powder and red chili powder.
  • Fry the masala till the raw smell goes off and oil starts to release from the side.
  • Then add the dal from the pressure cooker. Add some more water to reach the desired consistency.
  • Break the fish head into 4 or five parts and add to the boiling dal. Let it continue boiling for 5 minutes so that the fish head becomes soft from within.
  • Check the seasoning and add more salt if required. Add the sugar to balance the flavour.
  • Drizzle some ghee and add some split green chilies and turn off the heat.
  • Serve the dal with some steamed rice.