Tomato Dal

For a vegetarian, dal is very important because it is the main source of protein. But we cannot just consume plain dal always. So we need to add some taste to it to make it interesting and also sumptuous. We have a variety of dals/pulses/legumes which can be made in various forms to beat the monotony. For example, adding of green leafy vegetables and various seasonal vegetables will only enhance the taste and also the nutritive value.

India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world. Tomato dal can be made with arhar/toor dal or masoor dal. Both taste equally good. Tomato is one vegetable we can get round the year and is used in many dishes. There is one desi variety which comes during summer months. This one is ideal for dal and chutney we generally make, the reason being they are little sour than the usual tomatoes we get round the year, we can put any tomatoes as per the availability.

Ingredients:

100g arhar dal and 5/6 medium size tomatoes

For tempering:

1 tsp ghee, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp turmeric/haldi powder, 4 green chillis, pinch of asafoetida/hing,1 twig curry leaves and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut each of the tomatoes into four pieces and wash the dal and set aside. 
2. In a pressure pan or small  pressure cooker heat ghee, put all the ingredients except salt. 
3. Fry a little and to this add tomatoes, dal and salt, stir well and add 500ml water and close the lid. 
4. Give minimum of three whistles and simmer it for another 5 to 7 minutes. 
5. So inall dal should be done in 20 to 25 minutes maximum.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Print