The picture above is that of a take on the torka dal of Bengal and the highways of eastern India that we had for dinner at home in Mumbai yesterday. Its origins lie in the Punjabi run dhabas of the region. ‘Torka’ being Bengali speak for ‘tadka’. It can be made with black udad dal and/ or green moong dal. We use the latter at home.
I can’t begin to tell you how packed with flavour it was!
This despite the absence of chilli powder or chillies. I added half a teaspoon of ghee at the end. Which would be a joke in a dhaba of repute and yet each bite was so symphonic. So epiphanic.
The point I am making is that you don’t always need mirchi to add oomph to a dish. Or oodles of oil or ghee. So many other ingredients contribute to it. Onion, tomato, ginger, garlic… cumin, coriander and garam masala powders…. kasuri methi. At times using finely chopped bits of the veggies instead of pastes can make a difference. Or adding kasuri methi towards the end. Every cook has their own little twist. I use black pepper at times.
The most crucial thing though is to let the dal cook for a while. You can’t hurry a dal.
You obviously can’t cook it for as long when cooking for a small family, versus when in bulk. The dal would be rather dry then and we aren’t into molecular gastronomy are we?
With time and experience you know how much to push it. Where to tweak it. How to make the most of what you are given to work with.
A bit like the legendary spin quartet of Indian cricket. For that’s what a dal is about. Mystery and magic.
Be it in making a simple dal sheddo (boiled dal) sing. Or in rendering the more complex machhed mudo diye dal (with fish head) or the meaty dhansaks and dal goshts. The reason why there are so many types of sambar, despite their sharing the same DNA. For each vessel of dal has its own story to tell. With its maker as its sutradhar.
The tales around dal can go on for eternity. Just as the fire below the deg of kaali dal at Kesar da Dhaba burns on without a moment’s rest. Keeping a loving eye on us all.
What’s your favourite dal story?
