Lauki Dal(Sorakka Pappu)

After you’ve been on the road a long time, and had food from fast food joints, you yearn for a comforting home cooked meal. That was our feeling when we came back from our vacation. I made this quick and easy dal to soothe our systems. With a quick side of papad and pickle, this made a great meal for us. Plus it doesn’t take much effort at all, since I made it with moong dal.

Ingredients:

1 lauki, peeled and chopped into small pieces

1 small onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp sambar powder

salt to taste

1 cup moong dal

For tadka:

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp split urad dal

2 dried red chillies, broken

curry leaves

pinch of asafoetida

Method:

Place the moong dal in a wide bottomed pan over medium heat with enough water to cover. Bring it to a boil and let cook until al dente. Meanwhile chop the vegetables. When the dal is half cooked add the onion, tomato, chopped lauki, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Cook until the vegetables are cooked until soft and the dal comes together.

Heat oil in a seperate pan and add mustard seeds, let it splutter. Add urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves. Add the tadka to the dal. Serve hot with white rice.

Verdict: The dal was creamy and delicious. Perfectly spiced and healthy by the addition of vegetables, this dish took under 30 minutes to put together. Just set the rice in the rice cooker and have a yummy and healthy meal in minutes. The same dal can be made by substituting masoor dal for moong dal also.

I am sending this delicious dal to Divya’s ‘Show me your Curry’ event and also to Ayeesha’s ‘Iftar Moments: Hijri’ event.

Also sending this to ‘My Legume Love Affair #26′, event started by Susan of ‘The Well Seasoned Cook’.