Dal chawal, with a balanced amount of proteins and carbohydrates, makes a perfect lunch or dinner bowl. Since you can make yourself the comforting combo in just 30 minutes, you have all the more reasons to whip up a serving of dal chawal on the days when you’re not in the mood to cook anything fancy.
Let “Bunny”, aka Ranbir Kapoor from “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”, say whatever he wants, but at the end of the day, isn’t everyone looking for something or someone as comforting as dal chawal? Just a bowl of freshly prepared dal paired with jeera rice can take you back home, no matter where you are sitting in the world.
From the dining table conversations with your family, the silly fights with your siblings, to the race to get the last serving, a bowl of dal chawal has the potential to bring back all the memories with a single bite. And apart from being a comforting meal, it’s also super quick to make, especially on the days when you want to eat something healthy without spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
With the pot of simmering on one burner and the dal being pressure-cooked on the other, you can make a balanced meal for yourself in just half an hour. Make a classic adrak tadka with haldi, jeera, hari michi, etc, pour over the dal, and your protein-rich b
Read MoreRinse the rice and cook it with a cup of water and a pinch of salt. If you’re pressure cooking, cook for 1 whistle. If you’re making rice in a pot, cover it with a lid and simmer till the rice grains and soft and fluffy.
Rise the toor dal and transfer it to a pressure cooker. Add a cup of water, turmeric powder, chopped tomato, and salt. Stir the contents, close the lid, and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Then, turn off the heat, but don’t open the lid till the pressure is released.
After a few minutes, open the lid and check if the dal is soft and mushy. You can then further mash the dal with the back of a spoon and press it against the wall of the cooker.
For the tadka, take a small pan and heat some ghee. Once hot, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add in chopped onion, garlic and green chilli. Sauté till the onion turns translucent, and then add chopped tomato and cook till soft.
Once aromatic, pour the tadka into the freshly prepared dal. Mix well and simmer the dal for a couple of minutes to let the dal absorb the flavours of the tempering.
You can take a taste and adjust the level of spices and consistency by adding more water or masalas as required.
Transfer a serving of rice into a bowl and top it off with hot dal. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and a little drizzle of ghee. Pair the bowl with some raita, salad, and achaar for a wholesome and comforting meal.
Yes, you can use brown rice, quinoa, or any millet to pair with the dal. Just remember to adjust the quantity of water and the cooking time.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cook the dal in a pot. Simmer it for about half an hour till the dal gets soft. Keep a check and stir to prevent the dal from sticking to the bottom. You can keep adding water to adjust the consistency whenever required.
To make your dal chawal bowl richer in protein, you can add some sprouted dal, cooked spinach or paneer cubes. You can also mix two dals to make the bowl healthier.
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