This happened last week. My website crashed and I lost all the data for the past few weeks and the settings too. I went into immediate panic mode and with in-laws visiting us at the same time, had to leave it like that for 3 days. This blog was not up 3 full days! That’s the longest in the history of the mankind this blog has ever been shut down for!!
So here I am, at 1 AM, sitting in my study and trying to re-calibrate all the settings and re-posting the posts one by one. Thank God for feed burner, I found most of them saved in my inbox! I would have jumped from the London Bridge if I had to write the posts all over again. At least this way, it’s just formatting. Still, a lot of work and would take at least a few weeks for everything to be back to normal. Including my heart rate!
At least, thanks to the heavens, it’s been a pretty smooth Summers so far this year. Blog wise (apart from the recent mishap) and health wise as well. I am using more new ingredients like Avocado and Coconut in my cooking which keeps me in my comforting creative bay. Another new ingredient which I have started using lately is raw mango (green mango) which is known as kairi or kaccha aam in India.
Raw mango is a tangy, fleshy fruit which has cooling and medicinal properties. The list of health benefits of raw mango is very long but the real thing which matters in food is the taste. If it’s not tasty, health benefits wouldn’t tempt you for long enough to have that item.
Lucky for us, raw mango is super healthy and a great add on to bland dishes. Like this raw mango rice I prepared a few months ago. It was quite a flavourful rice dish which both S and I savoured with chilled raita.
Kache aam ki daal or kairi ki dal is one such delicious lentil curry, which is as flavourful as it is healthy. Packed with protein, fiber and iron, I bet this would become a summer staple in your kitchen too. Pair it up with plain boiled rice or if you are like me, you would make this a meal in itself and enjoy sipping a bowlful tucked on the couch.
Combining lentils with vegetables is an excellent way to turn the everyday dal into something more flavourful and healthier. And I do this quite a lot in my meals. Some examples are- Lauki chane ki dal, Chana dal palak, Chana dal shalgam etc. All of these are very commonly made in our household and loved by my family.
This kacche aam ki dal is made Andhra style with garlic tempering and is known as Mamidikaya Pappu in local language. It would be hard for me to imagine this dish without garlic, since that brings in a lot of flavour and sharpness to the curry. But you want a no onion-garlic recipe, I would recommend to use at least a pinch of hing (asafoetida) added so the sharpness remains intact.
This is a fairly quick recipe and can get ready within less than 45 minutes from scratch with very little time spent doing the actual work. It tastes amazing with plain boiled rice and also makes a well balanced meal with complete protein and essential minerals. Lets run through the recipe very quickly now
Serves: 3-4 people
Cuisine: Andhra, Indian
Course: Mains, side
Accompanienment: Plain rice, raita or phulka roti
Nutrional information: Rich in Vitamin C, fiber and protein. Good for diabetic and low calorie diet.
What you need?
- 1 cup Toor dal (arhar dal/ pigeon peas)
- 1 small sized raw mango, peeled and diced
- ½ tsp turmeric powder, mustard seeds each
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, red chili powder each
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- Salt to taste (about 1 tsp)
- 2-3 dry red chilies
- 1 tbsp oil
- Fresh cilantro for garnishing
How to make?
Rinse lentils thoroughly, and soak for about 20 minutes. Drain the water, and pressure cook the dal with turmeric powder, raw mango bits and salt in 3 cups of water for 3 whistles. Open when the pressure eases off. Mash the dal slightly with the back of a ladle or spatula.
For the tempering- heat oil in a small pan. Throw in mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Add in dry red chilies and asafoetida (heeng) and fry for about 15 seconds. Add in red chili powder and give a stir.
Pour this tempering onto the cooked dal, give a good stir, check the seasoning and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with phulka roti or rice.
Notes:
No tomatoes are used in this dal recipe since all the tang comes from the raw mangoes used. Make sure that the mango bits are small or else they wouldn’t be cooked and mashed into the dal properly and you would have a chunky dal to eat.
This recipe is vegan, but if that’s not a constraint for you- I would recommend using Ghee in the tempering. It enhances the taste manifolds.
Some other lentil recipes which you might like:
Shallot Sambhar (Vengaya Sambar)- Flavourful and easy to prepare lentil stew with pearl onions
Banjari dal– Thick, rich black lentils curry, simmered for long and served typically to a big group of people
Chana dal shalgam– Lentil stew with turnips
Chana dal Paalak– Maharashtrian version of the combination
Gujarati dal– Sweet & sour lentil curry, with peanuts
Maa Chhole ki dal– Rich Punjabi two lentils curry
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