This curry is prepared with sun dried Vaal bean dal. These beans are very healthy as they are protien rich and usually available during October to December months.Fresh beans are always preferable.But when they are cheap and available in plenty we can remove the dal from the beans and keep them under sun for few days so that the sun dried can be preserved for few months to a year.
Ingredients:
Sun dried Vaal dal – 125 Gms, washed once and soaked for 4 hrs or over night.
Onion – 2 medium, cut into small pieces,
Green chilli – 2, each slit vertically into 2,
Salt,
Ginger garlic paste – 1 Tsp,
Red chilli powder – 1/2 Tsp,
Haldi – 1/8 Tsp,
Dhania powder – 1 Tablesp,
Khus khus paste with 1/2 Tablsp of khus khus, 5 cashew nuts,
Salt,
Oil- 3 Tablesp,
Tomato puree – 2 Tablesp,
Cloves – 2, cardamom – 1, cinnamon – two 1/4″ pieces ,
Bay leaf – 1 ,
Chopped coriander leaves – 1 Tablesp.
Method:
1).Heat oil in a cooker ( preferably 3 lit cooker ) add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf.Fry for few seconds and add onion with chillies.
2).Fry till onion becomes soft . Add ginger garlic paste ,fry till raw smell goes.
3).Add red chilli powder, haldi, dhania powder and fry for a minute.Add tomato puree and cook for 1/2 minute.
4).Add Vaal dal ,salt and 400 ml water .Close the cooker and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
5).Once the steam escapes ,open the cooker and check whether the dal is cooked. Add paste of cashew khus khus to the Vaal dal.
6).Mix gently and let it simmer for 3 minutes. Add little water if gravy is thick. Garnsh with chopped coriander leaves and remove.
7).Serve with poori/ chapathi/ Rice preparations.
Tip:
You can put ginger garlic paste, onion pieces and a medium tomato ( cut nto two ) in a microwave safe bowl and microwave under high for 4 minutes. When cool, grind it with dhania powder , chilli powder and tomato into a fine paste. You can use this paste for preparing gravy .You can reduce the cooking time and also quantity of oil.