Muger Dal

Description

• Ethnicity - Bengali, East Indian
• Type of meal - Party, Lunch, Dinner

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow mung beans, picked, washed and drained
• 1 bunch paalak (fresh spinach), finely chopped
• 1 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
• 3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 tej patta (bay leaf)
• 2 tsp panch phoran mix (Bengali five spice mix)
• 4 sukhee laal mirchi (whole dried red chiles)
• 1 tsp laal mirch (red chili powder)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp. amchoor (mango powder)
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a heavy bottom saucepan, saute the mung beans until a nice golden color. Now add 3 cups of water, the turmeric and the bay leaf. Bring the contents to a boil and simmer partially covered until the beans are soft. Feel free to add more water if needed.
2. Now throw in the chopped spinach and red chili powder, cook for another 10 minutes.
3. In a small frying pan, heat the ghee. When hot add the panch phoran and cook over a medium low flame until seeds splatter.
4. Now add the dried whole red chilies. Cook until they are a nice brown but not burnt. Quickly pour this tempered oil over the daal.
5. Take some of the daal in a small pudding bowl and mix the amchoor powder into it. Make sure to dissolve the powder in the daal before you add it back into the saucepan.
6. Add the garam masala and stir. Heat for another few minutes. Serve hot with rice, bread and vegetables of your choice.