Punjab di Shaan - Maa Choleyaan' di Daal - My contribution to RCI - Punjab

9:27 pm showed the digital band on my wrist, give or take a few seconds!
I looked up to see some one in a black over flowing robe with a wand in hand and a huge cone shaped hat, or so I thought!
.

.
I'm imagining things I muttered and went back to my reading. Well, it was not the first time I traversed the ether into yet unbeknownst land, all while deeply engrossed in a book a-la 'Alice in Wonderland'!
Only to be interrupted again by the Barnes & Noble intercom 'Call for Molly, line 2'.

.
I looked up and this time I saw a flood of kiddos' dressed up in pitch black costumes scurrying along to get into a queue, there was a fleck of color or two, the most obvious being a pair of twins in blue with matching blue hats and a pretty gal in a fluorescent green gown. Everyone seemed to be guessing what the other was dressed up as, needless to say they knew every character rather well! They were all well prepared for the best 'dressed in character' competition!
It was then that it dawned upon me that it was Friday, THE day of the book release, yes Harry Potter!
.
Now, if you had read my meme you would know, I like to observe people, and people there were, in plenty, in hordes. I had already had my delicious meal of the Daal in question, so I decided to stay a little longer and enjoy the excitement in the air.
A couple of characters I was familiar with, having seen the movies, but the queue of participants far exceeded my exposure in the field. I watched as the young & the old alike came to the stage, did their thing and the judge, dressed in a costume herself belted out some words in a tongue familiar to the contestants :)
.
Mind you, not all were participating. Moving further along in the mall, I saw people putting up tent for the next few hours, comfortably resting on mats or beach chairs. Well, they had to wait until 12:01 am before they could get their hands on this phenomenon of a book! Some families were playing cards, while others enjoying ice cream and popcorn. It seemed like a joyous family outing. The coffee shop did a brisk business, I too got into the act and bought myself a carrot cake for no apparent rhyme or reason ;)
.

.

.

Anyway coming back to the Daal in question, it is one of my most beloved daals -

Maa Choleyaan' di Daal!

.

I wanted to bring something from the wonderful fields of Punjab for this event, something that is cooked in the homes and left untouched and unadulterated by restaurant bulk productions :)

.
This particular combination of dals brings out the best flavor and creamy texture within a shorter period of time as compared to the classic Maa' di Daal aka Dal Makhani!

.
Maa is whole Urad daal, we use split Urad daal with skin for this preparation.
Choleyaan' di dal in this context is Chana dal (split gram dal).
Try this dal once and I promise you will want to go back to this dal again and again.
This recipe is one of my treasured recipes and I would like to share it with all of you :)

.
The earthy taste of this dal is absolutely addictive, primarily brought out by the creaminess from chana dal melting into the pot as you cook it. This is one of those dals that DOES NOT require additions like cream and meva(cashews/almonds) to enhance its taste, it is delicious on it's own.
Can you see I am enamoured by this dal :)
.

Maa Choleyaan' Di Daal
.
3/4 cup split urad dal with skin (Maa)
1/4 cup chana dal (chole dal)
1 onion finely sliced
1 big juicy tomato chopped
2 green chili chopped
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp ghee (use as per your dietary constraints)
Cumin seeds, hing(asafoetida), 1 dry red chili(optional), 2 bay leaves,
a piece of cinnamon (optional, but then the love affair between chana dal & cinnamon is legendary, not putting it will be akin to separating Heer from Ranjha or Laila from Majnu or...... :) )
1 tbsp coriander seed powder
tumeric powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder
garam masala (as per taste, but not more than 2 pinches)
1 tsp kasuri methi (CAUTION: dried methi is potent, a little goes a long way)
.

.
1. Wash dals very well. I like to soak my dals for a few hours, just b'coz my mom does it & mom's are always right :) But you can do it without the soaking too, if you are short on time.

.
2. Cook them till done. I pressure cook them.

.
3. Heat ghee. Add cumin seeds, hing & red chili, cinnamon & bay leaves. Let splutter. Add onion and fry till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste & green chili, fry a few seconds. Add tomato, all masala powders and kasuri methi. Fry till tomatoes start breaking down.

.
4. Add boiled dals and simmer a few minutes till chana dal creates a creamy texture. Adjust consistency as per your liking. Add garam masala if using. DO NOT garnish with coriander leaves, it will clash with the flavor of kasuri methi.

.
5. You can enjoy this velvet dal with anything like naan, chapati, rice OR nothing at all, just on it's own :) My sis loves it with bread ;)
.

This is my contribution to RCI-Punjab.