Aam Diye Dal - Sour Mango Lentil Preparation

 

Aam Diye Dal is a refreshing lentil preparation ideal for summer months. It is monsoon in India and mangoes are out of season there, but summer is young in US and green ripe all kinds of mangoes are aplenty in the market. I bought a big green mango few weeks back and but shoved it into some corner of our refrigerator forgetting all about it until I was reminded with a bit of sarcasm by my husband about some vegetables to be really taken care of before they reached sorry stage. I know I have this nasty habit of putting whatever veggies I get a grab of into the basket but this is a new habit that has grown into me mainly because the nearest Indian grocery store is at least 20-25 minutes driving distance away from home and since in the week days rushing to the Indian store is not possible, I maintain to fill my fridge with all the Indian leaves and veggies not easily available in Wal-Mart or Meyer. What to do…..when you run a kitchen, you ought to keep foresight about future needs.
 

Anyway, as I was saying aam diye tak dal is a refreshing meal for the scorching summer months. With mercury soaring higher every given day, this dal would add a cooling sensation to your lunch. Just grab some green mangoes and get set go.

Ingredients:                                                Cooking time: 30-35 minutes

ü  250 gm red lentil or masoor dal

ü  1 green mango (chopped)

ü  1 tsp turmeric powder

ü  Salt to taste

ü  Sugar taste wise (I added 1 tbsp. sugar)

ü  5-6 green chillies (chopped)

ü  2 tsp panchphoron

ü  2 dry red chillies

ü  Mustard oil for cooking

Method:

1) Wash lentil repeatedly under running water. Add 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt. Either using pressure cooker or in microwave cook the lentil. If you are using pressure cooker, then cook till one whistle and if you are using microwave then cook for 20 minutes on high.

2) Add mustard oil in a wok. When oil turns hot, add 1 tsp panchphoron and dry red chillies. Allow them to crackle.

3) Add chopped mango and shallow fry them, stirring occasionally, till mangoes turn light golden in color.

4) Add green chillies and the cooked lentil. Add 1 glass of water to make the consistency runny. (I usually like my dal runny, so you may adjust the amount of water according to your preference for consistency.)

5) Meanwhile as you wait for the lentil to come to a boil, you may heat 1 tbsp. of mustard oil in another wok and toss 1 tsp of panchphoron when oil turns hot. Let the panchphoron sputter.

6) When lentil comes to a boil, add the above panchphoron tadka into dal and switch off the heat.

7) Serve hot with rice and fries.