No Oil Dal Chawal (dal rice)

Better without oil

You heard me right... or read me right... anyway, yes, this recipe uses NO OIL. When I say no oil, I mean... no oil. At all.

You can use oil if you want, but it's really a preference.

The ironic thing is that it actually tastes better without oil. Somehow adding the oil at the beginning mutes the flavor of the cumin and mustard seeds and ginger.

Rather than letting the seeds crackle in the oil (the usual way), I find it best to simmer the cumin and mustard seeds and ginger in a small amount of water for a few minutes.
- Almost like brewing tea.

The flavors saturate and carry the whole dish so beautifully when using this method.

Many people like to use some ghee or oil in their dal simply for the taste that oil brings. If this is something you also enjoy, I would recomend adding the oil after the dal itself has been added, almost like a finishing touch.

This recipe makes enough for two people my size (one person your size jkjk).

About two servings.

Prep time: 2 hours. (more-or-less)

INGREDIENTS

-Spices-

- 1 tsp Salt

- 1 tsp Turmeric

- 1 tsp Chile Powder

- 1 tsp Corriander

- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds

- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

-Everything Else-

- 1 roma Tomato (1/2 cup chopped tomato)

- 1/2 smallish medium-large Onion (3/4 cup chopped onion)

- 1 Serrano or Thai Chile

- 1 tbsp chopped, fresh Ginger

- 1 cup dry Toor dal (split pigeon peas)

- 3 cups Basic Rice, reheated

- 1 tsp Cooking Oil (whatever you have on hand)

- 2 cups Water (specifically for cooking the dal)

- unbeknowest to me Water (for everything else in the recipe.)

Make sure to follow this recipe step-for-step or your dal will...

...it'll still probably taste fine, I just won't be able to take credit for it. :(

The toor dal takes longer to cook so, a couple hours before you plan to eat, start your dal:

Wash and rinse one cup dal under water until the water runs mostly clear.

Cover with a few inches of water and let it soak for 30 Minutes

Once it's done soaking, drain the soaking-water and put the dal in your instant pot. Then add:
1 tsp turmeric,
1 tsp salt,
and two cups of water.

Pouring water in instant pot with dal, turmeric, and salt.

Manually set instant pot to: 30 min, high pressure.

This dal cooks best with 2:1 ratio, water:dal (two cups water for every one cup dry dal)

NOTE: The water amount is important because less water makes the dal fully cook and fall apart to become a mush. With dal chawal, you want this so that you can easily whisk it smooth for a creamy-smooth pot of dal without clumps. Longer cooking time won't necessarily achieve this. The water ratio is possibly more influential to the dal texture than the cook-time.

See beans and dal quick-reference here.

Cook time: 30 minutes.

First, chop:
1/2 cup Tomato,
3/4 cup Onion,
1 Serrano or Thai Chile.

Set aside, ready to use.

Next, in a 3-3.5 litre pot (3-4 quart) on the stove top, put:
1 tsp cumin seeds,
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
and 1 tbsp chopped, fresh ginger.

Turn the stove burner on to medium heat.

Pour in a few tablespoons of water to begin with. Let it come to a simmer and "brew" for thee-five minutes. Continuously add splashes of water too keep if from cooking dry.

Next, add in your chopped onions and chile.

onions, chile, cumin, mustard and ginger simmering in pan for dal masala base.

Let the onions and chile simmer for five minutes and continue adding water as needed to keep it from cooking dry. This really brings out the cumin and chile flavors, making the dal super tasty.

Now, add the tomatoes and the remaining spices:
1 tsp Chile Powder
1 tsp Corriander
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

Chile powder, coriander powder, garlic powder, chopped tomatoes ready to be added to dal.

Cook this for 10 minutes or so, consistently stiring and adding a little water to keep it steaming, not frying.

Okayyy, the masala base is all cooked, now take the dal that you prepared and whisk it thoroughly smooth. Add it to the masala base and adjust the consistency using a little water at a time.