Daal

Been getting more and more into good daals (Indian lentil curries/stews), especially with a pressure cooker handy, and the weather starting to cool. (Forget meat - I think a rich masoor daal or a dal makhani with naan or rice may be the perfect comfort meal during cold winter weather.)
Loving the variety out there with so many different types of lentils and pulses, and the many varieties of seasonings available.

So any other daal fans here? Any recipes to share?

Been getting more and more into good daals (Indian lentil curries/stews), especially with a pressure cooker handy, and the weather starting to cool. (Forget meat - I think a rich masoor daal or a dal makhani with naan or rice may be the perfect comfort meal during cold winter weather.)
Loving the variety out there with so many different types of lentils and pulses, and the many varieties of seasonings available.

So any other daal fans here? Any recipes to share?

Daal to me is one of the great pleasures of Indian cookery (along with some of the great spice mixtures used) as I'm a legume lover. Now feel free to correct me, Salil, but my understanding is that daal refers to the legume itself, not to any particular cooking method. Daal makh(a)ni is not one of my favorite preparations as I find it a bit too rich for my tastes. I love chana daal and most of my favorite preparations have a good deal of ginger and not much heat. Although pressure cookers are convenient, I think that you get richer flavor out of a more traditional, slow cooking approach. What about a crockpot, Salil? I'll pass on a recipe or two tonight when I can consult my authority, a Xeroxed copy of an Indian cookbook from the 1950s that I cherish.

Mark Lipton

Oh, nothing wrong with a crockpot - I usually combine the approaches, start by cooking the daal first in a pressure cooker for a few minutes, then adding in the tadka (seasonings) and then letting it sit and simmer for a period of time. But pressure cookers are great if I suddenly want daal, and don't want to wait.

And yup, daal technically refers to the legumes (urad daal, channa daal, etc) rather than a method - the stews/curries are usually implied as the standard way of cooking daal.

[Robin Garr]

I like daal a lot when I go to Indian restaurants, but rarely make it at home. This thread is pushing me to alter this practice. Any particular tips for first-time daal-makers, Salil? Extra credit for procedures requiring neither a pressure cooker nor a crock pot ...

Soak the daal for about 12 hours in water at room temp, Robin. Takes a lot of time away when cooking. And asafoetida (hing, in Indian stores) is something I find an essential ingredient in flavouring ANY daal.

Did a great toor daal yesterday - soaked the pulses in the morning for several hours, pressure cooked later in the evening (about 4 minutes at high pressure), then finished by adding some more water, butter, a mix of cumin, asafoetida, a family spice blend, turmeric and salt and cooking on medium-low heat for another hour.

Daal - noun, a small amount of dishwater served beside an Indian meal in a restaurant.

Stop going to crappy Indian restaurants and head up to central CT (or find me a kitchen) for some proper daal.

Here in central NJ we have a gazillion Indian markets, and each one seems to have a wall of shelves with different kinds of dal (legumes). I've occasionally made it at home but I probably like the stuff I get at local restaurants better.

In grad school -- back in the 1960's when Indian-Americans were mostly Sioux or Navaho -- I improvised a dal that my friends liked a lot. A can of green pea soup, a can of tomatoes, and some interesting spicings including mustard seeds cooked in oil until they popped and of course fried onions etc. A masala. I actually DID manage to find a couple of Indian cookbooks back then, and I remember finding ingredients that I haven't seen for years, like Bombay Duck.

Anyway. Patel Cash and Carry has been a great addition to my kitchen life. Even though you have to dodge sharp elbows from the sari clad ladies in the produce aisle...

I make my own cross-cultural interpretations of lentils a few times per week. The basic concept is to cook them with at least one aromatic (ginger, garlic, or onions) and then whatever spice/vegetable/herb I want to use. Very versatile.

Daal - noun, a small amount of dishwater served beside an Indian meal in a restaurant.

For a side dish of dishwater, I think you mean sambar or rasam.

(but if you really serious about the above, you haven't had good Indian)

Often I find the sambar one of the most delicious flavors in an Indian meal.

I recently went to a place where the sambar was boring and resolved never to go back.

Often I find the sambar one of the most delicious flavors in an Indian meal.

I recently went to a place where the sambar was boring and resolved never to go back.

I was only kidding - daal is too thick to be proper dishwater. I regularly eat a couple places with fantastic sambar.
Although I have tasted some rasam that might have been dishwater.