INDIAN RECIPES OF DAAL

VARAN-a Maharashtrian daal TOOR-DAAL-RECIPE
Varan is a no-frills daal native to the state .of Maharastra, India. The lack of overpowering spices makes this daal a true comfort food. Have it along side plain white rice or chapattis.
For any daals, like a toor daal, or dry beans, or lentil of any type, you're going (to need a Pressure Cooker in the kitchen.The pressure cooker is a really important utensil that you can invest in for your kitchen. It will cut your cooking time in half, if not more.
Do you know why there are some daals which have oil on them, some toor daals which have oil, and some are plain? Well, a while back, especially in India, they used to coat these seeds or daal with castor oil, and that would prevent fungus and bugs from getting into the daal. But I think Edays we don't have those problems, so I would stick to buying plain toor daal that does not have any oil on it.

How to make a Maharashtrian style daal called Varan.:
Ingredients:
1 cup toor daal.
1/4 teaspoon methi seeds, or fenugreek seeds.
1 to 2 green chillis, slit lengthwise.
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger.
1/2 medium onion, finely diced.
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to your taste.
1/2 teaspoon lime juice, or to your taste.
. 5 sprigs of cilantro, chopped for garnishing.
For seasoning, you will need:
4 teaspoons cooking oil.
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin).
1/4 teaspoon haldi (tumeric).
1 pinch of hing (asofoetida. )
1 sprig curry leaves.
5 large cloves of garlic, roughly smashed
1 medium tomato, diced
.3 cups waterMethods:
Wash 1 cup of toor daal, until the water runs clear. Soak the toor daal for at least about 15 to 20 minutes, In the pressure cooker, add the washed and soaked toor daal. Add in chopped onions, water, ginger, green chillis, and methi seeds.
Cook this for about 8 to 10 whistles.Keep aside the cooked Dal
For the seasoning.
(In Marathi,it is call ' vagay ', for seasoning. some call it tarkar)
Take a medium size non-stick pan. Put 4 teaspoons of oil,heat it in pan. Make sure the oil is hot. Put in the rest of the ingredients. Let them sizzle around there for a few seconds.Lower the flame.
Add some haldi ; hing, and curry leaves , garlic and stir that around a little bit. Cook the garlic until it gets a little brown.Add the tomatoes. Cook this for about a minute.
Pour the cooked daal in the pan,slowly and careful. Stir thoroughly. Add the salt and lime juice now. If this consistency is a little too thick; add boiled-water in right now. Serve in a bowl.Garnish it with some fresh chopped cilantro leaves or chopped dhania patta.
Varan is ready. Enjoy varan with hot chapatis or rice. It's really delicious either way.

BENGALI STYLE of Toor Dal.[ Orod dal ]:
Ingredients:
1 cup---toor daal.
3 cups ---Water.
2 tsp flat ---Haldi powder..
For Seasoning:
4 tsp oil--.
1/2 tsp-- Jeera seeds
2 nos-- Tej pataa (Bay leaf)
a pinch of Hing powder
2 nos.-- dry red chilli
1 tsp -ginger paste.
2 nos.-- slited green chilli.
1 Tbsp --Sugar
Salt-- According to your taste.
For Garnishing:
1/2 cup chopped Dhania pattaa
1 and 1/2 Tbsp ---Ghee.
Method:-
Wash 1 cup of toor daal, until the water runs clear. Soak the toor daal for at least about 15 to 20 minutes, In the pressure cooker, add the washed and soaked toor
daal and the haldi powder Stir.Cook this for about 8 to 10 whistles.Keep aside the cooked Dal.
For the seasoning.
Heat a kadai.Add the oil.Heat the oil.Lower the flame.Add the seasoning ingredients one by one.Let them sizzle around there for a few seconds.Stir.Pour the cooked daal in the pan,slowly and careful. Stir thoroughly. Add the salt,sugar and Ghee now. If this consistency is a little too thick; add boiled-water in right now. Serve in a bowl.Garnish it with some fresh chopped Dhania leaves.Enjoy with Rice,hot Puris or Parothas