Festive season has already begun. Which means, loads of fun and lots of ‘food’. If you are the one, who longs for this festive season, just to take a break from the regular, pushy and the nagging healthy diets, and, if you are the one, for whom, this is the time when you choose taste over health, heart over brain and satiation over regulation, then don’t worry, you are not the only species in this universe.
But, just like any other good thing, these fun and frolic come with a price. No, I am not talking about the money that you have to pay along with the additional GST anyway (which is going to turn your simple Ten Rupees vanilla ice-cream cup to One Hundred and Fifty Rupees), and, the complication of calculation might aspire intelligent kids in India to take up courses specialized in GST (something like – BSc with GST Honours). I am referring to all the compromises and inconveniences that you have to go through, for the choice that you have made out of emotion. For example, the accidental encounter with weighing machine, which unfortunately tells the truth (although based on my 36 years of research, more than 75% homo sapiens claim that “this weighing machine is not working properly”), or the uncontrolled and unnecessary reminder of the mutton biryani that you had last evening. The inconveniences are all too many.
Well, after these irregularities, this is the time when deep inside our heart we crave for some comfort food. Like a simple Dal Chawal, Curd Rice or Khichdi. And, this is what my new recipe is all about. Simple ‘Moong Dal with Cucumber’ or ‘Shosha Diye Mooger Dal’. The combined benefit of cucumber and moong dal makes this particular dish light in stomach, providing a soothing effect that allows the body to repair itself.
Although, the recipe is simple and uses very less spice, in no way is it less tasty than any other dish that use generous amount of spice. In fact, the combined aroma of ghee, mustard seeds and moong dal takes the dish to another level. The next thing you need is a bowl of piping hot rice, and you and your tired stomach are going to realise the eternal heaven.
So, lets make our way for simple and comfort food recipe.
Make your festival sweeter with these sweet recipes.
Recipe: Shosha Diye Mooger Dal Or Bengali Style Moong Dal With Cucumber
Preparation Time: 7 minutes Cooking Time: Around 45 minutes Yield: Serves 10 Equipment used: A pressure cooker, a pan and a turner
Ingredients:
- 1 cup yellow split moong dal
- 2 small or 1 medium sized cucumber
- ½ teaspoon & 3 tablespoon mustard oil
- 1 and ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 3/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 dry chilli
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ inch ginger (grated or crushed)
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 4-5 cups water
Method:
- Heat a pan and roast the dal/pulses on low flame for 2-3 minutes
- Remove from heat and wash the roasted pulses
- Pressure cook the dal with ½ teaspoon mustard oil, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon salt and 4-5 cups of water, till two to three whistles
- Chop the cucumber while the dal is getting boiled
- Heat a pan and add 3 tablespoons of oil
- Temper hot oil with mustard seeds, dry chilli and bay leaf
- Add the chopped cucumber to the pan and stir them for 2 minutes
- Cover the pan and let the cucumber pieces get cooked on low flame for 15 minutes
- Add milk, once the cucumber pieces are little tender
- Add the pressure-cooked dal, once the milk evaporates
- Add ginger, 1 and ½ teaspoon salt, sugar and 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
- Remove from heat and add ghee
Roast dal for 2-3 minutes.
Wash the roasted dal and pressure cook the dal with mustard oil, turmeric powder, salt and water .
Heat a pan and add 3 tablespoons of oil and temper the oil with mustard seeds, dry chilli and bay leaf .
Add chopped cucumber pieces.
Cover the pan and let the cucumber get cooked on low flame.
Add milk once the cucumber pieces are slightly tender.
Add the pressure cooked dal once the milk completely evaporates,
Add ginger, salt, sugar and turmeric powder
Remove from heat and add ghee.
Tips:
- In case you are using non-stick pan, heat the pan on low flame
- While boiling dal, pressure cook the dal on high flame till first whistle. Reduce the heat to sim for second and third whistle
