CHANA DAL, NEW DELHI-STYLE

Chana Dal, New Delhi-Style image

Julie Sahni, an Indian cooking teacher, cookbook author and chef, says that in much of Indian cooking, the less you fuss with beans, the better they cook. This recipe, for spiced split chickpeas, calls for a mathani, a sort of hand blender, but if you don't have one and don't want to buy one, a potato masher will do the trick.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Time 1h

Yield About 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 cup split chickpeas (chana dal)
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 bay leaf, preferably Indian
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sunflower orsafflower oil
6 whole cloves
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon crushed-red-chile flakes (optional)
3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

Steps:

Combine the chana dal, turmeric, cardamom, bay leaf, salt and 4 cups water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently, cover partly and cook for 40 minutes. At that point, the mixture should still be quite moist; if it is not, add 1 cup additional water and continue cooking, covered, until the dal is tender, about 20 minutes; turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaf. Use an Indian mathani (see related article) to purée the dal for about 1 minute; the dal should be saucy but not soupy.
To make the tadka, put the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cloves; let sizzle for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until medium brown. Stir in the chili flakes if you're using them, and turn off the heat.
Pour the tadka into the dal; stir gently to combine. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 264, UnsaturatedFat 9 grams, Carbohydrate 34 grams, Fat 10 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 11 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 153 milligrams, Sugar 5 grams, TransFat 0 grams