Description
Titar Dal is an ideal summertime vegan and vegetarian classic Bengali Lentil Soup cooked with Moong Dal and bitter gourd- Uchhe or Korola
Ingredients
Scale
- 150g Sona Moong Dal aka Yellow Split Pea
- 4-5 Bitter Gourd
- 2 Green Chilies
- 4 Tbsp. Mustard Oil
- 4-5 cups Water
Spices
- 1.5 Tsp. Turmeric Powder
- 1.5 Tsp. Salt
Tempering
- 3 Dry Red Chili
- 1 Tsp. Cumin Seed
Instructions
- Take 150g Sona Moong Dal in a Kadhai and dry-roast the Dal till it changes color.
- It will take 5 minutes to roast the dal on low flame.
- The lentil will turn golden brown in color and will emit a nice smell.
- You must stir the lentil while roasting continuously to avoid burning.
- Once done, wash the Moong Dal under running water 2-3 times.
- Now transfer the Moong Dal to a Pressure Cooker.
- Add sufficient water to cover the Lentil.
- Add 1/2 Tsp. each of Salt, and Turmeric Powder as well.
- Now cover the pressure cooker with the lid and put the vent weight.
- Cook on low flame till the cooker releases pressure 2 times (2 whistles).
- Once the pressure has been released, open the lid and use your perfectly cooked dal.
- You can start the preparation for cutting the bitter gourd while the dal is boiling.
- Cut bitter gourd aka Karela into rings.
- Once done remove the seeds.
- Sprinkle 1/2 Tsp. each of Salt Sprinkle and Turmeric powder.
- Coat the bitter gourd rings properly with the spices.
- Heat 4 Tbsp. Mustard Oil in a pan till the oil changes color.
- Fry Bitter gourd in 3 batches keeping the flame lower.
- It will take 3-4 minutes to fry each batch of Uchhe/ Karela.
- I prefer to fry bitter gourd in small batches instead of frying those in one go.
- Once done strain the fried Karela from the pan and fry the remaining.
- Now temper the remaining oil in the pan with 3 Dry Red Chillies and 1 Tsp. Cumin Seed as well.
- Now add the boiled Dal.
- Mix the boiled moong dal with the tempering.
- Keep the flame low and add fried Bitter Gourd to the Dal.
- Adjust water if the dal is thick.
- Now add 2 Green chilis after breaking those.
- After a thorough mix, cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
- Serve the Dal hot with steamed Rice!
Notes
- Sona Moong Dal is the superior quality moong dal, smaller in size. If not available use normal moong dal.
- Pressure cookers are a great way to quickly prepare lentils and other ingredients, saving you time and energy!
- You can use either variety of bitter gourd, uchhe or korola/ karela. Uchhe is a small, round bitter gourd, while korola is a large, cylindrical-shaped bitter gourd. Depending on the gourd this dal is also known as Uchhe diye dal or Korola diye Dal.
- Instead of Mustard Oil, you can use any other vegetable oil.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Bengali
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 75g
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 0.8g
- Sodium: 590mg
- Fat: 9.6g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1g
- Carbohydrates: 11.7g
- Fiber: 3.6g
- Protein: 4.2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg