This book dives into the diversity of dal across the Indian subcontinent

Dal is a versatile dish and people in different regions of India and the world make it more personal with their unique recipes and tadka. Pics/Nishad Alam

When we saw the first recipe in Pratibha Karan's new book The Book of Dals (Penguin Random House, R999) about chana aur lauki from Jammu and Kashmir, it brought back memories of dals sneaked into subjis to be eaten with rotis instead of with rice. In this Kutchi-Gujarati writer's home, dals are fervently enjoyed, especially with a dash of sugar and lemon for a sweet and sour flavour.

In a telephone interview from her home in Delhi, Karan, 79, who retired as secretary of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in 2003 tells us, "Dal is a very versatile and diverse ingredient, not only in India but worldwide. In Arab countries, rice and lentil dishes are called mujadara; in Egypt, it is called koshari; Mexico frequently uses kidney beans and minced meat, and lentil-based soups are popular across Europe and America."

After her second book, Biryani, came out in 2009, Karan's family urged her to write another on lentils because, "they are an intrinsic part of all Indian homes, including ours." The book contains recipes from all over India and neighbouring countries gathered by Karan during her travels and from the kitchens of friends, families and strangers alike. Her marriage to the then Hyderabad-based Vijay Karan, drew her into Hyderabadi cuisine.

"I would pester my mother-in-law to give me recipes and I gathered a few by talking to people, chefs and restaurants. Wherever we go, I like to meet people and talk to them about food," says the enthusiastic home chef. A favourite in the Karan household is khatti dal from Hyderabad. "It's the go-to dish for everyone when they come back after travelling." However, when the author cooks, she goes for simpler versions which can be cooked quickly. "Lasun and lal mirchi ki dal is what I like. It is like a breeze to make and everyone loves it at home," she adds. All this passion was poured into her first book, A Princely Legacy: Hyderabadi Cuisine which covered the history, culture and cuisine of India's most beloved dish, the biryani.

Sunday mid-day ladles out six of the most unique dals from the pages of her latest book, and talks to Karan about them.

Kootu
Tamil Nadu

"This dal is popular across many South Indian communities because it is very healthy and has fresh vegetables, and coconut. It's abundant in spices and curry leaves, and coconut," says Karan. "You can make it with a single vegetable or with a medley of them." The trick is to boil the vegetables with green chillies, cumin and red chilli powder and grated coconut just till they are tender, but not mushy. Since this too is also a dry dal, Karan suggests eating it with sambhar or by itself.

Arhar dal with shalgam
Kashmir

Kashmir's harsh winters prevent growth of fresh vegetables; and sundried ingredients and vegetables come to the rescue. "The cuisine relies heavily on dry vegetables and well-spiced meats," says Karan as she shared a recipe from a Kashmiri friend. "Dry ginger powder, fennel, star anise seeds and asafoetida are used extensively in Kashmiri cuisine, and so it is in this dish too. The strong taste of asafoetida, along with green chillies and fresh radish, packs a punch."

Moong ki bikhri dal
Uttar Pradesh

This also happens to be this writer's favourite dal, and we found ourselves agreeing on how this delicious dal with a unique name is unique in taste and texture too. "It is called bikhri [scattered], because unlike others that are mushy in texture, here each grain is separated from the other," says Karan. "I got the recipe from my daughter-in-law's mother. The secret to getting the right texture is cooking it at the right degree, and being stingy with the water. The flavours come from simple spices such as cumin seeds, peppercorn, onion, green chillies and curry leaves. The magic ingredient that enhances the dal is crushed pepper sprinkled on top, towards the end. It goes well with bread and roti, but I prefer relishing all the flavours on their own." In other parts of the country, this kind of dry moong dal is called sukhi dal, and the tempering differs from region to region.

Angoor ki dal
Gujarat

"This one is a fine example of how a few ingredients can make a dish marvellous," says Karan. "It takes ghee, cumin seeds, red chilli powder, sugar, one cup of either green or red grapes and can be eaten with rice." She learnt this recipe from a cook at her in-laws' place in Hyderabad who picked it up from a Gujarati family she used to work with. The use of grapes does give credence to the stereotype that Gujarati food leans towards the sweeter side, but, as Karan observes, "This Gujarati dal has a sweet and sour flavour, similar to the ones found in Maharashtra."

Ingredients
200 gm red gram lentils (arhar dal)
1/3 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp sugar
1 cup ripe green grapes
Salt

Method
Wash and soak the lentils in abundant water for about 20 minutes. Drain, and pressure cook in two and one-fourth glasses of water with salt and turmeric. Switch off the flame after one or two whistles. When the pressure subsides, open the lid; the lentils should be tender but not mushy. If not, cook further without pressure until tender. Tempering: Heat ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they sputter, add cumin seeds. When those turn brown, turn off the flame. After five seconds, add red chilli powder, and pour this tempering into the cooked lentils. Add sugar and grapes, and cook for two minutes until the dal reaches medium-thick consistency. Serve hot.

Chana dal with keema and fresh fenugreek
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Hyderabadi cuisine is influenced by the Mughal, Persian and Arabs winds; and Telugu food has an identity of its own as well. "Interestingly, they scoop out the flesh of tomatoes, onions, apples and guavas, and stuff the casings with keema," she says, adding "They have a long list of non-vegetarian dishes, many of which are meat-based with all kinds of dals and vegetables. This dal goes equally well with parotta, rice and even puris."

Ingredients
150 gm Bengal gram lentils, split and skinned (chana dal)
1/3 cup oil
1⁄2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
2 onions, finely sliced
2 to 3 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
A few sprigs of fresh green coriander, chopped
A few mint leaves, coarsely chopped
250 gm keema (minced meat)
1 cup fresh fenugreek leaves (methi saag), coarsely chopped
Juice of 1-2 limes
Salt

Method
Wash and soak the lentils for about 20 minutes, and drain the water. Place the lentils in a heavy-based pan, add about two to three glasses of water and a little salt. Let it all come to boil on a high flame first, and then cook on medium-low flame until the lentils are tender. Set aside. In a separate pan, heat the oil. Add fenugreek seeds, followed by onions and green chillies. When the onions turn golden, add ginger and garlic paste. After a few seconds add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Add the coriander and mint leaves. Sprinkle a little water so that the ingredients blend better. Add the keema and stir for five to six minutes. Add the fenugreek leaves and cook for another five minutes. Add about half a glass of water and cook covered on medium-low flame for seven to eight minutes, until the keema is cooked. Now mix in the lentils. Cover and cook for three to four minutes more. Add the lime juice and turn off the flame. It should be semi-dry. Serve hot with bread, paratha or puri.

Dhansak
Gujarat

"A renowned dish from an essentially vegetarian state - owing to the predominance of Hinduism and Jainism, but some communities such as the Parsis and Bohras do eat seafood and mutton," says Karan. Mostly made with meat, Karan's version has just vegetables, and both versions are equally popular. "It is essentially made with a combination of two dals and several vegetables such as pumpkin, fresh fenugreek, brinjal, and tomatoes cooked together and ground into a fine paste in vinegar. To get it just right, add ghee and lime juice towards the end," says Karan.

Parippu hodi
Sri Lanka

This recipe is a memento from a trip to Sri Lanka, shared by a young, enthusiastic chef, based in Galle. Karan found many similarities between Sri Lankan and Kerala cuisines, with cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, coconut and shallots playing an important role in every dish. "What makes this dal stand apart is the special Sri Lankan curry powder, which is similar to our garam masala," she says. "This dal goes well with rice, but can also be eaten with bread."

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