Kale Daal

Daal means lentil stoup somewhere between soup and stew. There are many types of lentil stoups and soups. But this daal in particular is one of my favorites. I use toor daal to make this. This particular lentil is a staple in most Indian homes. You can use techniques from this recipe and add variations accordingly if you don’t have all the ingredients. I added kale to this as an optional ingredient but you can make this without any greens or vegetables as well.

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Ingredients

1 Cup Toor daal

1 cup of Kale or 1 tomato (if not using any greens)

Spices to use : Masala dabba spice mix– 1tsp turmeric powder, Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds

2-3 crushed Garlic, Salt , red chilly powder (kashmiri chilli)

Optional: Asafeotida, Coriander leaves, tamarind juice 3 tbsp,

Oil : Ghee or Coconut oil

Cooking pot : Pressure cooker / Instant pot

(Daal cooks better at high pressure settings hence I used Instant pot to make this daal)

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Cooking Technique: 

-In a bowl rinse together the uncooked lentils and kale.

-Then transfer to the Instant pot or pressure cooker and add 2-3 cups of water.

– Add little oil and turmeric to it and close the lid. If you are not adding the greens then add chopped tomatoes.

Notes: My granny said that adding sour things like tomatoes to the lentils doesn’t allow it to cook properly but i find the instant pots does a pretty good job cooking the lentils softer ,even with tomatoes.

-Cook in instant pot with high pressure setting on manual for 13 mts. Let the pressure release naturally.

– Take a sauce pan and prepare to temper. See my post on tempering .

-Add ghee, cumin seeds , mustard seeds and cook on medium flame until the seeds crackle.

-Add crushed garlic and asafoetida .

-Keep an eye on garlic from getting too brown. Turn off the heat.

-Once the daal is cooked then open the lid and turn the saute mode on. Carefully mash it in the pot itself using a wooden masher or wooden ladle or a potato masher until its mashed properly. Add red chilly powder and tamarind juice.

Notes:I prefer not to use blender to avoid the lentils turning mushy.

-Add the tempered ghee to the daal and add 1/4 cup of water.

-On saute mode , let it cook for few minutes.

Serve with warm rice or roti.
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