Ultimate Pakistani comfort. No other food so simple, frugal and wholesome can give one such depths of bliss – the humble daal soaked up in plain boiled basmati. A blank canvas for flavour, absorbing any indigenous culture, tradition or wealth of family secrets – Daal cooked the South Asian way to me is a never-ending journey of exploration, adaptation and eternal joy.
Growing up in Karachi to a family with Muslim Indian and Punjabi roots and with friends from every part of the land of Pakistan and some with Indian roots, the onslaught of daal was perpetual. Never was I served a meal without daal, always was it alive with a new explosion of flavour, texture and aroma. From cooking methods to tempering styles, the vastness of the ability for lentil to take any form has only just registered to my culinary mind away from home. Like a chameleon this simple pulse, be it channa, moong, mash (urid), green, pink or black – it’s ability to take any shape or form is something that never ceases to amaze me . Tarka (tempering) is always its’ crowning glory – a burst of infusions that enhances the simple soul of daal. (and the fact that many daals are an incredible base for desserts as well! )
One memory of daal that carries with me through continents is this – the ever lasting craving for Daal aur Chawal (lentil and rice, a classic combination) – this is and always be my go to comfort food. One bite and I am transported to warm hugs, sultry afternoons, the sound of the Kohel bird just before, and the scent of the earth just after a monsoon shower.
I never quite knew where I picked up my various styles of cooking daal and to me I only imagined it is what I picked up vicariously from my mother, grandmothers and surprisingly my father! But the truth came to a head when I experimented with an array of flavours I find are part of my repertoire. Cinnamon, coconut, tamarind, red and green chilli, chaat masala,tomatoes, curry leaves, garlic, cumin – all these make sense to who I am. But the question is, not all flavours are purely what one consider authentically ‘Pakistani‘ – curry leaves and red chilli: South Indian/Gujrati; cinnamon and coconut: Bohri/Memon; chaat masala, garlic tomatoes and cumin: Sindhi/Punjabi …. I saw a pattern forming. But the realisation hit home as I breathed in the scent of these two creations. I found myself slip into a virtual tunnel of regression into my childhood. Sounds of school bells, playing at many friend’s homes, staying for dinner at aunts and acquaintances – being asked to stay for a meal was just the norm. An omnipresence of daal was an eventuality at every home. No matter what the ethnicity.
I grew up in a city with a celebration of multi-ethnic culture and knowing many Parsi’s, Bohri’s, Catholics and Hindus – always eating with them, my tastebuds were a silent witness to a melting pot of their flavours and mine. To me, this is what defines Pakistani cuisine and it’s diversity. Taking in this essence of flavour and diversity, I realised that Pakistan is defined best by a pot of daal. A pure simple land as it’s name; with a myraid of flavours thrown in creating an explosion of aromas, confusion but with a sense of comforting sanity – to me that defines this humble dish and my homeland.
These two recipes include two different styles of cooking daal, with different tempering (tarka) – memories of my many multi-cutural friends, family recipes and styles. Daal always takes me to the comfort of warm summer days at my Nani’s house and cool crisp winter weekends at my Dadis’ , but most of all the aromas of my mother’s daal, that takes me home to her every single time. And that is why, I could eat it every day.
Recipe 1 – Moong daal with tomatoes, curry leaves and cumin
Serves: 4-5 people
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 50 grams moong daal, washed and soaked for 10 minutes
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- salt to taste
Temper with:
- 1 tbsp ghee or 1 tbsp vegetable oil heated with 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 2-3 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 dried red chillis
- 10 fresh curry leaves (you could use dried, but these don’t a lot of flavour)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – helps with not making you too gassy!
Garnish:
- Handful of chopped fresh coriander
- 1 tsp slivered ginger
- 1 tsp chaat masala
Method:
1. Boil the moong daal with enough tap water to cover it. Add ground coriander, ground cumin and turmeric and boil on medium heat until daal is cooked and mushy. You may need to add a bit more water if it dries up so do keep an eye on it. Once ready take out the cinnamon stick and pour into a serving bowl. The consistency should be thick and sloppy. (tastes better than it looks, trust me!).
NB: Add salt now, for some reason I grew up being brainwashed that lentils like most protein cook faster without salt! I just do it out of habit now!
2. To temper/tarka, heat ghee in a tiny frying pan or a tarka pan (invaluable), once hot first add the cumin seeds until they pop, next the slivered garlic until light brown, the hing, then the red chilli for about 3-4 seconds, add the tomatoes next until lightly soft and finally the curry leaves, only let these heat up for about 2-3 seconds and don’t let them burn. Also make sure that the garlic doesnt burn too much as it add a rather bitter flavour.
3. To serve, immediately pour the tarka over the daal (NB: another Mummy tip was always to cover the daal as the tarka hits the dish, as it allows for the aromas to infuse in the daal, again I do this out of habit!). Top with the garnish and serve with boiled basmati or naan.
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