This delicious, nourishing dish of mixed dal can go with any number of meals or can be eaten on its own with chapatis or plain rice. Keoti dal uses a mix of different lentils to give an interesting flavour. Comfort food from Gujarati cuisine.
You will need to start this dish the day before to allow for the lentils to soak overnight. If you want to hurry this dish, a pressure cooker can be used and it will halve the cooking time. We do like the simmer cooking method for this dish, as it gives time to prepare the things that might go with it.
The advantage of the recipe, as described below, is that you will keep the texture of the lentils. Hurry it, or over-cook it and you have a nicely spiced stodge.
You could also lift the recipe by sprinkling some of your homemade garam masala over the dish. I’ll describe how in an upcoming post.
the recipe
equipment
- pressure cooker
ingredients
- 200 g chickpeas - (kabuli channa)
- 1 tsp fruit salt - see notes
- 100 g split pigeon peas - (toor dal)
- 100 g split red lentils - (masoor dal)
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 1 brown onion - halved and sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cloves garlic - crushed
- 40 g ginger - crushed
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 red chillies - chopped
- 3 tomatoes - diced
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 1 red chilli - slit lengthwise
to serve
- ½ lemon - juiced
- 2 tbsp coriander stalks - finely chopped
- ½ cup coriander leaves
instructions
- Rinse the Kabuli channa, add the fruit salts and soak in 1½ litres of warm water overnight. Drain and rinse when ready
- Rinse the toor dal, then add ½ litres of warm water. Leave to soak, for at least four hours or until they are soft. Drain and rinse when ready.
- Rinse the masoor dal, then soak in 1 litre of hot water for 45 minutes, or until soft. Drain when ready.
to cook
- Toast the coriander seeds in a small pan on medium heat until their colour changes and they become more aromatic, Allow to cool, then grind to a fine powder.
- Heat the oil in the pressure cooker on medium heat, then add the mustard seeds. Heat them until they start to pop. Add onion, sprinkle with the salt and cook for ten minutes, or until the onion is soft, and starting to go golden brown.
- Add the ginger and garlic and cook for three minutes, or until the raw garlic smell has gone.
- Add the turmeric, ground coriander seeds, chillies, Kabuli channa and tomatoes, stir until combined, then add the stock.
- Add the toor dal, masoor dal and stir until combined. Add the whole red chilli and mix well.
- Seal the pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes on low heat. When cooked, release pressure naturally.
to serve
- Stir through the lemon juice and coriander stalks.
- Place into serving bowl, putting the whole chilli on top, sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve.
notes
- Fruit salt is marketed under the brand name Eno. It is best obtained from a pharmacist, as supermarkets seem to only stock flavoured variants. For this recipe, you can substitute baking soda – not baking powder.
- You could also use a slow cooker for this recipe, allowing six hours or so on low heat.
private notes
This feature is only available to subscribers.
love it.
Without pressure cooking, this recipe does not work . Does not cook the Kabul I Chana.
You are absolutely correct, Nina. I have edited the recipe the recipe to reflect the stovetop times.