Cooking has never been a challenge for me; I love cooking. And now, more than ever, I enjoy writing about the food I cook. I try to encourage others, especially young girls, to see cooking as something that brings pure joy. I will be writing about some cooking 101’s; highlighting basic methods, techniques and tricks to motivate younger cooks to try authentic and traditional recipes which are simple and taste ever so delicious.
Lentils (daals) are an essential part of Pakistani cuisine. There is a lot of diversity within lentil recipes. Every region has its own variation and flavor that goes with it’s tradition. From soups to simple daal chawal (lentils with rice), lentils are consumed every day in our households. What stands out the most when eating daal are the spices used for ‘tarka’, and this is the most important part of making a delicious daal.
To understand the basics of cooking a perfect daal, I will be sharing with you a family recipe for Moong Masoor Tarka Daal. It’s made using a combination of yellow (moong) and split, red (masoor) daal. The daal itself is cooked with simple spices and then tempered with a tarka just before serving. Tempering adds flavor and aroma to the daal. You need to take care of the consistency of the daal. Everyone has their own personal preference, but for me daal should have a thick, creamy texture and consistency when being poured out. That is my favorite kind of daal by far, as it’s light and easy to digest. It also cooks quickly and is a great everyday meal for the family. And if you want to quadruple the flavor, serve it with pickles and boiled rice.
Ingredients:
For Daal:- Equal parts Moong Daal and Masoor Daal
- Water – 4 cups
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
- Red Chili Powder – 1 teaspoon
- Turmeric Powder – 1 teaspoon
- Oil/ Ghee – ¼ cup
- Green Chilies – 1 (finely chopped)
- Onion – 1 medium (thinly sliced)
- Garlic – 1 or 2 (finely chopped)
- Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
- Whole Red Chilies – 3 to 4
- Tez Patta – 1 (small)
Instructions:
- Soak an equal quantity of moong and masoor daals for half an hour.
- In a medium heat pan, bring 3 to 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the soaked daal into the boiling water. Stir and let it cook.
- A layer of foam will be formed on the top, remove that from the top.
- Add salt, red chili powder and turmeric powder to the daal.
- Turn the heat to a medium and place a wooden spoon on top to avoid spilling over and let it cook for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the daal is cooked.
- Stir a few times through the cooking process.
- Add a little more water if the mix is too thick.
- Add chopped coriander and let the daal simmer on a low flame.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tarka in a frying pan: heat the oil over a medium flame, add onions and fry them until they turn golden brown.
- Now add garlic and slit green chilies followed by whole red chilies, tez patta and cumin seeds. Fry for another few seconds until the cumin begins to crackle.
- Pour the prepared tarka on simmering daal just before serving.
- Enjoy with boiled rice or roti!
Fatima Ali
I am trained to be an IT professional. I served National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) for six years after graduating from the same university. As long as I can remember, cooking good food has been my passion and it makes me happy. My cooking lessons were a bit unusual though. Back in the day when digital did not mean much, my father would record cooking shows (knorr ka kitchen, kaukab khuwaja and Zee Khana Khazana – Chef Sanjeev Kapoor) for me to watch endless times later on, before trying the recipes out. I would make brownies and cold cake almost every day while my mother was asleep. This was my way of surprising her every evening. My mother cooks amazing food too and I have tried many of the recipes written in her recipe book. I draw inspiration from a number of chefs from televised cooking shows such as Late Chef Farah, Chef Rahat, Chef Mehboob, BBC Food, Masala TV, Chef Shai, Chef Sharmeen, Master Chef Australia and my ultimate favorite Chef Shireen Anwer. I would not be as good a cook I am now without passive guidance from each one of these.
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