Panchmel dal

Last time V came to India she bought lot of cookery books. S had jotted down  few recipes that she found interesting and after much begging and pleading, she agreed to give me a copy. This Rajasthani dal recipe is a favorite of mine. As the name suggests, this is made with 5 dals. I did not have green moong dal so today I made the dal with just four lentils.

Panchmel Dal

1/4 cup split channa dal
1/4 cup toovar dal
1/4 cup green moong dal (split green gram)
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp whole moong

1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp haldi
1 tsp coriander power
1/2 tsp garam masala

3 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 green chili slit
hing
2 tsp tamarind pulp
oil
salt
juice of 1/2 lime (optional)

Clean and wash the dals. Add 3 cups water and pressure cook for 3 whistles or till the dals are cooked. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, turmeric powder, dhania powder and garam masala and 2-3 tbsps of water and mix. Heat oil in a pan and add the cloves, bayleaves, cumin seeds, green chili and hing. When the cumin seeds splutters, add the masala mix and saute for 1-2 minutes. If it gets too dry, add few tsps of water. Add the cooked dal, tamarind pulp and salt and simmer for 5-6 minutes. This dal is very thick. If you want thinner consistency, you can add more water. Finally, add lemon juice and mix well. Serve hot.