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Tovve
ತೊವ್ವೆ (tovve): Udupi's soft, gently spiced toor dal with green chilli, ginger and a ghee tempering
Tovve is the plainest dal of the Udupi temple kitchens and of Kannada homes along the coast: toor or moong cooked soft, seasoned with green chilli and ginger and finished with a sizzling ghee tempering. There is no tomato, no onion and no masala, so it is the first dal children eat and what families cook for a light dinner or after a fast, with rice, a spoon of ghee and a lemon pickle. Its flavour depends on a well-cooked dal, so it must be soft enough to fall apart when stirred. The usual mistake is adding salt before the dal is tender, which keeps it grainy. Chef's tip: whisk the cooked dal hard for 30 seconds before tempering; the smooth, creamy texture is what makes tovve taste of more than its few ingredients.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dal
- 7 oz toor dal (or split moong dal)rinsed 3 times
- 3 ¾ cups water
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 tbsp gingergrated
- ½ tsp jaggery (optional)optional pinch
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
For the tempering
- 1 ½ tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 dried red chillibroken
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida (gluten-free hing)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 7 oz toor dal (or split moong dal), 3 ¾ cups water and ¼ tsp ground turmeric in a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam, then cover partly and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the dal collapses when pressed with a spoon. (In a pressure cooker: 4 whistles on medium.)
30 minStep 2: Add 2 green chillies, 1 tbsp ginger, ½ tsp jaggery and 1 tsp salt, and whisk the dal hard for 30 seconds until creamy. Add hot water if needed so it pours like thick soup, and simmer for 3 minutes.
4 minStep 3: Push the dal to one side of the pot, or use a small tempering ladle: heat 1 ½ tbsp ghee, add 1 tsp mustard seeds and ½ tsp cumin seeds, and when the mustard pops add 1 dried red chilli, 1 sprig curry leaves and 1 pinch asafoetida (gluten-free hing). After 10 seconds stir it all into the dal.
2 minStep 4: Finish with 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve with hot rice and a little extra ghee.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tovve take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of toor dal (or split moong dal)?
- Red lentils (masoor dal) (cook 10 minutes less).
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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