SHEEM MULO DHONEPATA DIYE MOONG DAL

It is a weekend and yours truly S usually shares a fish or meat curry for you! Then exceptions has to be there, it proves the rule. This winter special, authentic, Bengali lentil curry SHEEM MULO DHONEPATA DIYE MOONG DAL from my side of the family had to be shared before spring arrives in India. Last year, during this time I did a photo session with this dal, then for this and that reasons I could not share it. I was not happy with the pictures either, deleted them. I keep doing this dal throughout the year as we get radish even in a local minimart and sheem / broad beans in the Indian / Bangladeshi stores throughout the year. Whether India get them all through the year is my concern. However, I got to see potol / pointed gourd in the Kolkata wet markets last month. The thing is that there people are not keen about having fruits and vegetables that are not seasonal. I have seen radish & cauliflower been fed to a cow towards the end of February! Tell me why not? With the onset of spring, comes to the market "shojne phool & shojne data".... Drumstick Flowers & the Sticks.... people get busy cooking them .... drumsticks have high medicinal value. 

I have a long association with plant life! The little girl who played alone at the maternal grandfather's garden found fearful the caterpillars on the drumstick & "sheuli phool er gach".... I still do not know the reason as to why caterpillars crowd on a naturally grown drumstick and nyctanthes arbortristis [from wiki].... what I can say is that they both have high, medicinal properties. "Shorotkaaler Sheuli"  has a permanent place in this romantic soul.... the blooms mark the beginning of Debipokkho! However lost I am, I keep cooking this or that in my den.... did some experiment with blueberries and dates yesterday .... shall come up with the recipe when my mood permits!

The CURRY AND SPICE Blog has some 627 food posts in it.... mostly heirloom Bengali / Indian .... I know I should do some kind of self promotion .... just waiting for the horrid, old pictures to be replaced by decent ones. The laid back self has stopped taking my food posts to different forums, people have stopped visiting my space in flocks! However, I still enjoy blogging for my own pleasure and for the few hundreds of my loyal readers. I know how difficult it is to put trust on someone not famous.... just like I could not trust anyone but T while choosing a life partner.... that faith and trust got me an upgraded iPhone Xs Max yesterday night.... someone stood in a long queue at the StarHub centre after a long day at office.... I see myself at Hell for not being able to give my 100% of loyalty to this gentleman. You see I did not want it.... I am a worthless, sit at home... the earlier iPhone was not this expensive.... I just wanted a set that gets me good pictures. What will I do with an expensive set when my food preferences are such.... while the family had garlic bread with chicken curry yesterday, I had my brown rice with "til-kanchalanka-peyaz bata"....

No wonder, such a woman will proudly have SHEEM MULO DHONEPATA DIYE MOONG DAL on her blog.... people peep or not... I will not compromise on what this blog was / is meant for unless it is a special occasion for those from the other lands without whom CURRY AND SPICE would not have survived. This authentic Bengali, family recipe with split, de husked yellow lentil, broad beans, radish, fresh coriander does not require any spice. Bengalis do not add a lot of spices in their lentil curries. The tempering matters however! This had been a much loved winter dal which I do throughout the year now. I remember, the paa-in-law told me once that this particular dal reminded him of his family veterans.... I treasure such remarks.... my mother did not allow me to get such appraisal from my paa.... When my little brother got appreciative of my way of preparing a dal.... his mother got upset.... This time I got to see that he became a mere pet of his mother.... who decides who he will talk to... who he should not... whether to smile at anyone or not... He comes back from office, hugs and makes joker like gestures to make her laugh.... I shout at it... "bhai stop all these... you have crossed 40 a year back idiot!" I wished to get him out of that house, grow up and explore the world. Anyway, the maximum in my side of the family have to have lentil curry everyday and here is one of the few varieties we usually do! Have it with steamed rice, chapati, even as a soup skipping the carb filled mains!

INGREDIENTS :

MOONG DAL / SKINLESS, SPLIT MOONG DAL : 1MEDIUM CUP
SHEEM / BROAD BEAN : 7-8
MULO / RADISH : 2SMALL SIZED OR 1/2 OF A BIG ONE
DHONEPATA / FRESH CORIANDER : 2TBSP CHOPPED & WASHED
GREEN CHILLI : 3-4 SLITTED
DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3 HALVED
CUMIN SEED : 1/4TSP
BAY LEAF : 1
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 1TSP [OPTIONAL]
OIL : 2TBSP [THIS FAMILY USES MUSTARD OIL ALWAYS]

PROCEDURE :

The first thing we will do is dry roast the dal until they turn golden brown. Store in a bowl and let cool. Wash once cool. 

Meanwhile, we will discard the two ends of the broad beans and tear off the thread like on the inner side. Cut half and wash. Marinate with little salt and turmeric. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Discard the two ends of the radish. Cut half and peel off the skin. Cut each half into 4 pieces lengthwise and marinate with little salt & turmeric. Set aside for 5 minute.

Wash the roasted moong lentils; add it & the marinated radish pieces to a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water, a bit of salt & turmeric powder to a pressure cooker. Close tight the lead.

Pressure cook at the lowest heat up to 1 whistle if it is small sized 'shona moonger dal".... if the size is that of normal moong dal.... 2 whistles are required. If you are a perfectionist, you will boil it in a vessel without touching the pressure cooker.

Once cool, we can do the main cooking. Heat the oil in a clean wok and add the marinated broad beans. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes and take out. 

Temper with cumin seeds, dry red chillies, a bay leaf! Add the marinated radish pieces and fry at low heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add the boiled dal to the wok. Pour 1 coffee mugs of water to the pressure cooker and then add it to the wok.

Add the remaining turmeric powder and let boil at medium to low heat, covered.

After about 7 minutes, open the cover and add the broad beans. Adjust the salt and slitted green chillies. Add half of the coriander leaves to be used. 

Let boil for 2-3 minutes uncovered. Add the sugar and the remaining chopped, fresh coriander.

Let boil for a minute and we are done.

Enjoy with steamed rice or ruti / chapati. Health watchers can consider it as a Bengali Lentil Soup!