When Dr. Bharti, An ayurvedic doctor from Bombay, came to our Women's Camp in Espanola, Yogi Ji wanted us to guess her age. We all said 24 or 26 years old. It turns out she was 47 and she told us her secret was eating fresh dal and chapattis every day. This is also one of BibiJi all time favorite gourmet dals. When I served this for 7 years at my home every Wednesday night after yoga class, yoga students said it was not like eating a regular meal, but was a healing experience when they sat down and ate this dal. It is creamy without the fat, healing, balancing and satisfying.
Serves 8-10
1-2 T ghee or clarified butter or olive oil
1 chopped onion
3-5 cloves chopped garlic
¼ cup fresh chopped ginger
2 whole chili peppers (Serrano) with stem attached (only chop if you want really hot, hot spicy dal)
1 large tomato diced or a 16oz can of diced tomatoes
1-2 T ghee or clarified butter or olive oil
1 t cumin seeds or powder
1 t turmeric
½ t pepper
1 bay leaf
1 t black salt
salt to taste
1 cup Split Yellow Moong Dal (Washed and rinsed together with Red Split Graham)
½ cup Red Split Graham Dal (Masoor Dal)
5-6 cups water
Pour 2 T ghee or oil in the bottom of a 4 qt. pot, sauté onion, ginger, garlic (trinity roots) and peppers. Sprinkle a dash of salt to bring out the flavors. Saute’ until the onions are translucent 10 minutes, then add diced tomato and saute another 5 minutes.
In other small skillet pour 1-2 T of ghee/oil and let get warm for 1-2 minutes on low-medium heat. Add Cumin Seeds and toast for 1 minute, then add the Turmeric and pepper and sizzle for another 30 seconds. Add these spices to the Onion, Garlic & Ginger (trinity roots) & pepper & tomato mixture.
Wash Dal’s together thoroughly.
Add water, dals and bay leaf to onion/spice mixture. Stir and bring to a boil, then turn on low and cover for 40 minutes stirring about half way through (add any other veggies at this time). Add both the regular and black salt to taste. Serve with cilantro sprinkled on top, a dollop of homemade or store bought plain live cultured yogurt with acidophilus, basmati rice and/or chapattis.
Optional toppers and other health promoting tips for dal:
You can add some chopped veggies half way through the cooking process.
You can place 10 or 12 fresh spinach leaves in the bottom of your soup bowl and pour the Dal on top. This will soften the Spinach leaves nicely, but allows them stay full of vitamins and flavor.
Top with sliced green onions and cilantro.
Chili pepper flakes (optional) good for circulation and helps lift depression
Sprinkle nutritional yeast (high in Vit. B) bought at most health food stores, possibly in bulk section.
A squirt or spray of Braggs Liquid Aminos (bought a most health food stores)
Drizzle about ½ cup of homemade yogurt around the edges of the Dal.
Sliced Daikon Radish, cucumber slices and/or Watercress on the side with two chapattis
How to make Indian chapattis (also known as rotees) (rotees are unleavened wheat bread circular shapes with no added preservatives, bread softening or rising agents added)
10”-12”Iron Hot Plate (Iron Skillet/tava) – Pre-heat iron tava on medium flame for 5 minutes before dry frying chapattis.
Add 2 big hand grabs of whole wheat chapatti flour put into bowl (chapatti flour - purchased at Indian Grocery store – Golden Temple flour is a nice brand)
Approx. ¼ to ½ cup water. Add enough water to be able to gather dough into pliable dough ball (not sticky). Stop adding water when dough easily gathers into ball.
Knead until smooth 5 min. is good (do by hand or use Kitchen Aid mixer with kneading attachment)
Break and roll into four small balls, a bit bigger than a small super ball.
Roll out chapatti dough with rolling pin (flour the rolling pin and surface). Roll each ball into a 6”-8” diameter fairly thin, circular shapes.
Dry fry one side at a time on the hot plate. Turn when the side that is down becomes a lighter tan color with some little brown spots on it (it’s okay to peek). Stack chapattis in foil wrapper. Brush with small amount of butter or ghee on the done side of the chapatti. Makes only 4 chapattis (double recipe for 8)
Both of these recipes are by Atma Kaur Khalsa 9/15/2007
