Narkel diye Moog dal/Moong Lentils With Coconut

This is my MIL’s recipe which I recreated after the husband declared that it’s the only way he likes Moong dal and all other ways are with which sick people are fed! With absolutely no expertise in bengali cooking and a very ‘punjabi‘ palate,I called back India and she recited a long list of  ingredients,some of which I had to especially go and buy from Indian store to prepare this dal.I dedicate this post to her coz this is the first time ever I cooked some bengali stuff under long- distance instructions from her

I am not really conditioned to the taste of bengali cuisine.The first time I ate traditional bengali cuisine was at my in-laws house after wedding.I liked few things a lot.Few of them were different kinds of ‘bhajas‘ with fried potatoes, bitter gourd , eggplant etc, the patol [parval] posto,pui [a kind of leafy green]chachari and shorshe dim [mustard egg] curry. They were different but yum! The best part was bengali sweets which I adore…mishti doi, kheer kadam, sondesh, narkel laaru and the khejur gur payesh! I don’t even know if I am writing all these names correctly or not…so bear with me and let my ignorance be bliss! At that time, it was fascinating to see long discussions day and night over food, about food and food preparations and everyone right from a kiddo to a granny was asked about what they would like to eat for the day’s lunch or dinner….phew! Quite interesting ones and this is why I think a typical bengali meal has so many different things at one time !

Okay , coming back …this is my take on my MIL’s recipe. The dal was comforting and really aromatic with all those spices & coconut. I also liked the bite rendered by coconut shreds .Any one who looves coconut in savoury stuff will find this dal heavenly! I rationed the sugar from what she told me , u can add more as per your taste.I ate it as a soup and the husband gave it a ‘pass’ certificate.The advantage of having a Bong husband is that whatever you serve with rice gets a thumbs up!Shamelessly, I exploit this advantage every other day Without further ado,here goes the recipe…

What I needed:

• 1 cup split yellow moong dal
• 3 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup fine shredded unsweetened coconut [preferably fresh]
• 1/4-1/2 tsp jaggery [or sugar]
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Salt to taste
• Water for cooking the dal
• Chopped cilantro for garnish [optional]

For tempering :

• 2 -3 tbsp mustard oil [for authentic taste.You can use ghee[clarified butter] also]
• 1 tsp cumin seeds [jeera]
• 2 tbsp fine shredded coconut , lightly toasted on a skillet
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon [dalchini]
• pinch of grated nutmeg
• pinch of ground mace [ javitri]
• 2 whole red chillies

How I did it :

• Dry roast the moong dal [without any oil]for about 5-6 minutes on medium heat or till it become light brown in color and you smell the aroma.Be careful not to burn the dal. After dal has cooled off, wash the dal in cold water 2-3 times.
• Dal Cooking :

1. This is what I did :In a pressure cooker , tip in the washed dal with double amount of water along with the cloves, bay leaves, turmeric,salt and shredded coconut.Pressure cook for 3-5 minutes on full pressure.Dont over cook! Discard the bay leaves from cooked dal and mix jaggery [or sugar].
2. On Open stove top: Put the dal with 2.5 cups of water and other ingredients as mentioned above  in a pot with a lid on the stove top. Let it cook. The dal will boil and bubble, remove the froth on surface. Add more water if  required and cook till dal is soft but not mushy.About 20-30 minutes.

• Tempering : In a small sauce pan or tadka pan, heat the mustard oil on medium high.Once the oil is hot enough and the raw aroma of oil is gone, lower the heat slightly and add the cumin seeds to the oil.Cook for about 30 seconds.Next add the whole dry chillies and toasted coconut.Cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.Add the ground cinnamon, nutmeg and mace.
• Add this tempering to the cooked dal and cover the lid of the utensil.Let it sit for about 5 minutes.Thereafter, stir well and garnish with chopped cilantro.
• Serve it with rice or slurrrp like a soup as I did.

Notes :

1. If the dal is too thick , add some water & simmer it on low heat for few minutes to loosen it.
2. Top up the dal with few drops of fresh lemon juice to enhance the flavor.

Enjoy!

Sending this to Susan’s MLLA-27 event