No rule creamy mixed daal

The revered Pandemic & Lockdown appeared with its own textbook of do's and dont's.

Even though it did encompass truckloads of restrictions, which are hard to endure, yet I thin I learnt a tad bit about the equations about running a  household, keeping a strong grip of the monthly budget, almost fixed for most middle class households as myself. And many recipes like this came to life while maintaining the act of balance, because I believe survival doesn't need to be a boring board game, it can be as exciting as action between the sheets.

A handful of this and that, can create an unique blend which in turn weaves its own magic and leaves us gasping. This is a tale of such few handfuls. You can for sure skip the first step and make do with the regular mixed daal packets available at every super market these days. I choose to do it on my own, depending on availability, mood swings while reserving the individual tastes ( when cooked with only one variety) as well as saving a few bucks.

Unlike most of my other posts, this one calls for chapati or roti as the best companion. But if you happen to be glutton for rice, just like me, please consider zeera pulao made with long grained Dehradun rice to create a love story like legends. Trust me, disappointment can never be the result. After classic choices rules the roost!! Without further ado let's embark on the daal journey at this very moment. I also assure you some bicep work, to reduce your guilt, alongside some shortcut. Rewards of this bowlful is going to be many fold!!

1.Measure out 250 gm mixed lentils, ( my one has a major portion of kaali daal, with a handful of  Red kidney beans or rajma+ Tur daal or Split Pigeon pea or Arhar daal + Chana daal or Bengal Gram + whole green moong or Green gram). Clean thoroughly and soak for at least 8 hrs.

2. Chop 1+1/2 medium sized tomatoes. Pound together  8 fat cloves of garlic and 1"ginger. Chop up 2 fat cloves of garlic and keep aside.
3. In a pressure cooker add the drained daal along with double the quantity of water, half tsp turmeric powder, 2 slit green chili, 1/2 tsp baking soda & 1/2 tsp g+g paste. Cook till done? Mine took 6 whistles. Wait for a while and then open the cover. Keep the mixture on the lowest possible flame.
(It's important to remember that the kaali daal and the green mung will not disintegrate. The others will give body to the daal. Now we move on to the cooking of it.)
3. Heat a pan and add 3 tbsp ghee & 1 tbsp veg oil and add in 2 dry red chilies+ 1 tsp cumin seeds. 4.Once it sizzles add in the rest of the g+g paste and cook till the raw smell disappears. Add in the chopped tomatoes with 3 tbsp tomato puree and 1/2 tsp red chili powder. Add in about 2-3 tbsp water to prevent it from burning.Cook till tomatoes dis-integrate.

5.Add this to the pressure cooker with 50 gm butter + 2 tbsp chopped coriander stems and keep stirring on the medium low flame.

6. The trick to a good and creamy daal is constant stirring. Keep stirring to prevent it from sticking to the base, keeping the flame low.
7. Heat another small pan and add the chopped garlic + 1 chopped green chili+ 1 heaped tsp dry fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi & half a tsp red chili powder. As soon a sit sizzles add in 2 tbsp water and  add it to the daal mix. Stir well to combine.
8. At this stage add in salt and about half tsp sugar to balance it out. Crank up the heat now. Once it comes to a boil, take it off the hob.

9. Mix in about 1/2 cup of cream and 50 gm more of butter. Stir in well to get the lovely restaurant style color.

10.  Serve it with piping hot roti and an wedge of onion &green chilies to complete the experience of simple soul food.

The only rule pertaining to consuming this meal for me in eating it in utter silence. Let me reveal the big secret: It tastes better the next day. Trust me it does.But a well known glutton that I am, waiting for the following day is a pain, so I always make it in big batches to feed the tummy for the next few days, over various meals like breakfast lunch or even as a snack. While making a snack out of it, i top it with chopped onions and green chilies and viola! in no time i lick the bowl clean!! never mind, the only way for you to feel the truth of all these words, is only when you make it in your kitchen, feed and eat it. And to simplify that process for you, here are some points, noted down below, as always:

a. My mom prefers a tad bit of sweetness in her sabji or daal when we eat it with roti or chapati. Do feel free to give that sugar a miss, if you wish to!
b. I had used home pounded red chili powder both the times for heat as well as color. However if heat is not your thing, then feel free to use Kashmiri chili powder.
c. Yes its true that butter and the cream are indispensable part of this dish. But once in a while we are allowed to indulge. However in case if you wish to reduce the amount of butter and cream, be my guest.
d. Remember to cook the daal well, while boiling. It doesn't boil & soften well, the creamy  consistency will not be the same at all.

e. I prefer not to salt it before as it hardens the skin of the legumes. In case you wish to add salt in the beginning, feel free to do it!!!
f. I used a mix of chopped tomatoes and store bought puree not only for achieving a good color but also as O had to finish up the leftover puree. Feel free to give the chopped tomatoes a mix and use up only puree. In that case you would need about 10 tbsp of the tomato puree.

Now that I have spilled the beans as to how to cook this, I really hope you guys make it once, only to start loving it more. In case you do so, I would love to see your photographs.

Chow!