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Recipes with split moong dal

4 recipes that use split moong dal, with photos, step-by-step instructions and cook times. The quickest, Kathirikai gothsu, takes 50 minutes. It is most often cooked with coriander, chana dal and dried red chillies.

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Kathirikai gothsu

At the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram, ven pongal, the peppery rice and moong porridge, is always served with gothsu, and the pairing has spread to breakfast tables and wedding feasts all over Tamil Nadu. Brinjal is charred over the flame, mashed and simmered with a little moong dal, shallots and tamarind, then seasoned with a freshly roasted powder of coriander, chana dal and chilli. The result is smoky, tangy and spoonable, also good with idli or dosa. The usual mistake is using big, seedy aubergines: choose small, firm, glossy ones, which are sweeter. Chef's tip: char at least one brinjal right over the gas flame until the skin is black all over; that smoky note is what makes Chidambaram gothsu.

50 minIndianCurriesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Phaanu

Phaanu is everyday food in Garhwal's hill villages, from Pauri to Tehri, made on cold days and in large pots for family gatherings. Mixed lentils are soaked overnight, ground to a coarse paste and simmered slowly in an iron pot until the paste turns into a thick, earthy stew, with spinach or other greens and a mustard-oil and jakhya tempering. It is eaten with steamed rice and a little ghee. The usual mistake is adding the paste to the pot and walking away; for the first 10 minutes it must be stirred constantly or it forms lumps and sticks to the bottom. Chef's tip: whisk the lentil paste into cold water before it goes on the heat; it thickens smoothly and never catches.

70 minIndianCurriesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nombu kanji

As sunset nears during Ramadan, mosques in Colombo, Beruwala and Kattankudy ladle out great pots of nombu kanji to queues of families carrying jugs and tiffin tins, and the same porridge is cooked at home to break the fast gently after dates and water. Rice and a little moong dal are simmered with onion, ginger, garlic, fenugreek and whole spices until soft, then enriched with coconut milk and a small amount of minced mutton or chicken that flavours the whole pot. It should be loose enough to sip from a cup, mild, savoury and comforting, with fresh coriander and mint stirred in at the end; for a vegetable version leave out the meat and add diced carrot, leeks and a handful of green peas. The thing that spoils it is letting it thicken into a stiff paste, because it keeps setting as it cools. Chef's tip: thin it with hot water just before serving until it pours easily from the ladle.

65 minSri LankanRice & GrainsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Adai

Adai is the hearty cousin of the dosa, made in Tamil homes for a weekend breakfast or an early dinner, and in Tamil Brahmin families traditionally served with avial and a lump of jaggery and white butter. Rice and a mix of toor, chana, urad and moong dal are soaked and ground coarsely with red chillies, ginger and hing, so the batter needs no fermenting at all. The pancakes are thicker than dosa, crunchy at the edges and soft and gritty in the middle, with a deep, spicy, lentil flavour and plenty of protein. Chef's tip: grind the batter like coarse semolina, not silky; that texture is what gives adai its crisp, lacy rim.

50 minIndianBreakfast & BrunchVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Goes well with split moong dal