Daal

Toor Daal with Bay Leaf and crisp Cilantro (Pigeon Pea soup) with Jeera Rice. vegan glutenfree

Good old Toor Daal (Pigeon Pea soup) and Chawal(Rice) today. Comfort food for any day! I remember sneaking out to…

Ready 40 minutes
Serves 2 servings
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes

Toor Daal with Bay Leaf and crisp Cilantro (Pigeon Pea soup) with Jeera Rice. vegan glutenfree

I remember sneaking out to my neighbors’ house every few days when I was 9 or 10, to eat some Daal Chawal. They used to make Toor Daal every 3-4 days and mostly the same recipe. It was a simple preparation, sometimes with tomatoes, sometimes without, and just a mild Chaunk/Tadka with bay leaf and red chili. A very few times there would be mustard seeds. But mostly It was the Toor Daal(split Pigeon Pea) in all its glory.

Recipe

Toor Daal with Bay Leaf and crisp Cilantro (Pigeon Pea soup) with Jeera Rice

Comfort food for any day! A vegan and gluten free recipe.

Serves 2 servings
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 40 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup Toor Daal (Split pigeon Pea)
2 cups water

Tadka/Chaunk/Tempering:

2 Teaspoons organic canola oil or coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed (Raee)
2 bay leaves (tejpatta)
a generous pinch of asafetida (hing)
1 whole red chili broken into 2 (or 1 green chili chopped)
3-4 Tablespoons cilantro chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 medium tomato chopped
3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Variations:

Add 1/4 teaspoon paprika or 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder to the tadka
Add greens with the cilantro.
Add 2-3 tomatoes.
Add a teaspoon of Tamarind pulp

Instructions

1
Wash and soak daal/lentils for half an hour. If not using pressure cooker then soak for atleast 4 hours.
2
In pressure cooker or a medium deep pan, add oil and heat on medium heat.
3
Test the heat by adding a few mustard seeds to the oil; if they crack immediately, the oil is ready.
4
Add mustard seeds, and after a few seconds, add bay leaves and red chili/green chili, stir for 10-15 seconds.
5
Add the chopped cilantro and cook for a minute or so until it crisps up.
6
Add the tomatoes and turmeric. Mix well and cook covered until tomatoes are half done.(3-4 minutes)
7
Rinse Daal and add with water and salt. Mix.
8
Pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium, or cook covered for 20-30 minutes on medium-low, or until daal is starts to mix with the water.
9
Serve hot with fresh cumin Rice.
10
Add lemon juice if needed. Or serve along with some Indian Pickle/Achar.

Notes

Cumin Rice: In a deep pan, add a teaspoon of oil, add 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds, heat on medium till fragrant. Add washed 1/2 cup of Basmati rice. Mix and add 1 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste. Mix and cook partially covered until rice is done. Serve hot. Nutritional values based on one serving without rice