SHOJNE DATA TETUL DIYE MUSHUR DAL

 

PROTEIN RICH DAL; LENTIL; PULSES IS A PART OF OUR DAILY LIFE!

Not today; but since my childhood; I am an ardent dal lover! My meals do not seem complete without having a dal. Like a typical "Bangal", I have my share of dal at the end of a meal; even if the meal has mutton curry or the choicest of fish! I made dal compulsory in my child's life; not so much store bought processed cereals. My preferred Bengali meal must consist of a curry with a choice of fish, two vegetables or one fry & one vegetable and a dal. Now, that the rest in my family would not eat a dal if served two vegetables and a fish or meat curry; I usually cook a fish or meat or egg curry, one vegetable, a dal and an additional fry on somedays. People like to have the dal more if served with a fry; the problem is we have lost the liberty to have "muchmuchey bora-tora dal diye" at every meal! Now that I am serving few clients every week; I am not finding enough space in the refrigerator to keep all of the vegetables. Below is the scenario today! I enjoy visiting the wet market as much as I do watching a movie of my choice! 

Quite late in life, I have realised, how important it is to have a balanced meal of vegetables; lentils; off course we do not need to denounce our habit of consuming meat & fish! Thats absurd!

SHOJNE DATA TETUL DIYE MUSHUR DAL IS A SWEET NOSTALGIA / RED LENTIL CURRY WITH DRUMSTICK & TAMARIND IS A SPRING TIME DELIGHT!

Many may not want to equate dal with delight; but I stand by it. Tok Dal is a spring to summer time regular thing in the family; like in many Bengali families. Even the father who could live a life without a LENTIL CURRY loved his share of tok dal / sour dal. My family uses elephant apple or raw mango or dried raw mango or tamarind as the souring agent for dals. To welcome the spring without the hazards it brings with it; drumsticks were / are eaten extensively. As a child; neither me, nor bhai fancied a drumstick / shojne data! Till date; my son and the man dislike chewing any kind of "data"; I somehow have started loving it. I cook it separately for myself and Cristine; also add them in curries and dal hoping at least some of it's goodness might have mixed with the curry that the men would eat! They indeed have this kind of a dal; SHOJNE DATA TETUL DIYE MUSHUR DAL; sans the drumstick pieces. I am still okay with it. My food habit has taken the path of the mother; say of the parents & grand parents. I am hopeful about the son.

THERE ARE SPRING VIVES FELT IN THE AIR; BUT IN A TROPICAL COUNTRY; ANYTIME IS A GOOD TIME TO HAVE TOK DAL!

Raw Mango & Tamarind are easily available here, throughout the year; so tok dal / SOUR LENTIL CURRY keeps happening in my kitchen. I either use mushurir dal / red lentil or motorer dal for this purpose. Motor Dal is not so frequent in sight in this island; so I use toor dal instead! Our most loved dals are moong & mushur. My side of the family has adopted other non-Bengali kinds of Dals / PULSES for long now; I am happier to follow the footsteps. Many things make me happy. I try to keep aside or ignore what makes me unhappy indulging more in what makes me happy! Even if it means pushing inside unnecessary carbs and a whole lot of oil; I do not hesitate! I am the one who will not take calculative steps when it comes to food! This morning, after the shopping; I had an unhealthy breakfast with potatoes, spring roll, curry puff and tea! Thereafter, I had to have a polao lunch to finish them off. I only need a "maach bhaja" and a green chilli to lap off a bowl of Bengali pilaff; but it was offered to my God family, so cannot have it with non-vegetarian stuffs!

In between all the cooking and eating ventures; a pedicure & manicure session was a need! 

Our mother worked so hard all day but had been so particular about up keeping her body; using hair removing lotions to nail polishes to lipsticks! Well, that was yesterday! I am feeling better because I had funded the session from my earnings!

INGREDIENTS : 

MUSHUR DAL / RED LENTIL : 1/3 SMALL TEA CUP SIZED

DRUMSTICK : 2-3 STANDARD SIZED

TAMARIND : 1 TSP

GREEN CHILLI : 2-3 [SLITTED]

DRY RED CHILLI : 2 [HALVED]

NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 2 PINCH

BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 3-4 PINCH

BAY LEAF : 1

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

SUGAR : 1-11/2 TSP

OIL : 2 TBSP [WE ALWAYS USE MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE :

I think red lentil is the quickest to boil! You need not take out the pressure cooker for it!

Wash the dal taking in a bowl; soak in some hot water for an hour! Drain the water!

Add a little of oil, salt & turmeric to the dal and mix well. Keep aside for half an hour!

In a vessel, take the marinated red lentil and 2-3 coffee mugs of water. Give a stir and boil over low heat; covered!

Discard the two ends of the drumsticks; cut it lengthwise; remove thinly the skin fibre! Wash and marinate with a little of salt & turmeric!

Once the dal is about 80% to 85% done; take it down.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper it with the bay leaf, nigella seeds & mustard seeds, halved dry red chillies. 

Give a stir, add the rest of the turmeric powder and the marinated drumsticks! Stir cook at minimal heat for 2 minutes! 

Add the boiled dal; give a stir and let it simmer at low heat for 2-3 minutes. 

Add, 11/2 coffee mug of water; give a stir and bring to boil at low heat. When it has boiled for about 3-4 minutes; add the tamarind; sugar, washed & slitted green chillies and the salt as required!

Simmer it for another 3-4 minutes! 

Serve it with rice, fritters, fish curry & vegetables!