Ambat God amti (Sweet and sour dal)

Many people detest the idea of having sugar in dals and vegetables. I am among them for most of the dishes. However, there are few dishes that I like the sweet and sour taste that cuts the  spiciness of the dish.
This simple dish was taught to me by MIL. Some dishes she makes with her left hand when her brains are busy catering to so many other things. But the dish comes out so good in the end that it feels she poured her heart while making it.
I made the lame attempts to recreate it so many times. But I do not mind joining the praises that my husband bestows on MILs dal whenever we eat it. As I know deep within what he says is so true- This is how dal should taste. Divine




Ingredients (for 2 servings)
1/2 cup Split Pigeon peas / Tuvar dal
1 tspn red chilli powder
1 tspn Coriander Cumin powder
1/2 tspn turmeric powder
1 green chilli (spicy variant)
1 inch ginger
2 tbsp grated jaggery
1 Kokam (there is no english name for this) Or
1 tbsp tamarind pulp 
salt to taste
For tempering
1 tbsp Oil/ Clarified butter
1 tspn Cumin seeds
1 tspn mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
a few sprigs of curry leaves
Method
1) Cook the toovar dal in pressure cooker with twice the amount of water and a pinch of salt and turmeric powder until it is cooked.
2) Using a mortar and pestle crush the ginger and green chillies to a fine pulp.
3) In a large pan, take the dal without water and mash it properly. Now slowly add the water from the dal and churn it to form a thin consistent syrup like dal.
4) Add the red chilli powder, salt, coriander-cumin powder, jaggery, tamarind pulp and mix well.
5) Put the pan on gas stove and let it cook until it simmers on high flame. After that let it simmer for another 4-5 min on low to medium flame.
6) In another smaller pan, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds.
7) When it crackles, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. 
8) When the cumin seeds start spluttering add the curry leaves.
9) Add this tempering to the boiling dal and let it cook for a couple of minutes
Serve with fresh coriander along with plain rice.

Comments

Chef Mireille said…
I once followed a recipe and made a sweet dal, but in addition to jaggery it also had coconut milk..it was very good..book had said it was in style of Gujarat..appreciate the sub. for the kokam :)
similar to Gujju daal..with a slight variation.
Archana said…
I love this dal. Today I made it with a mangoes.

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