A preparation of pulses (dried lentils, peas or beans), dal is a regular accompaniment with Indian meals. Dal recipes of varieties such as toor, chana, moong or masoor.
Chickpeas lend themselves generously to experimentation. The classic channa masala with its onion-garlic base is by no means the only way to cook this legume curry-style. Chickpeas CAN be curried without a shred of onion and garlic – check out these recipes from the blog archives, for example: aloo chhole, dahi chhole.
And now, let me add yet another no-onion-no-garlic chickpea recipe to your repertoire.
This light and nourishing ginger lime moong dal has a healing touch. Excellent for days when you want to soothe a sore throat.
Mixed legumes cooked with whole spices and fresh fenugreek, topped with a rich ghee-garlic tadka. Panchmel dal is one of those rare dishes that are complex and, at the same time, comforting.
Masoor dal pakodi – with red lentil as starring ingredient, this crunchy snack-time goodie also doubles up as a curry dumpling (badi). Learn how to make these delicious fritters.
A Turkish-inspired masoor dal recipe that weaves the goodness of root vegetables in a wholesome, comforting soup.
I was looking for a chickpea recipe that did not call for onion, tomato, ginger or garlic, and I stumbled upon a Himachali dish called madra which is served during the dham food festival. Madra is a legume and yogurt combination with an array of aromatic spices – just the kind of recipe I wanted.
My version is lighter than the traditional madra recipe and calls for fewer spices, based primarily on what was on hand – I simply call it “dahi chhole” instead of madra as I have probably strayed too far from the template…
Chana dal paratha with dahi and achar – nothing else comes close for a filling, comforting Sunday brunch. Try it this weekend!