Sunday

What's in my Dal?

Corn Peas1

Tired of cooking dal (thick stew prepared by pressure cooking lentils or dried pulses) the traditional way, I decided to strike off the lentils from my list of ingredients. I was looking for an alternate fresh ingredient that would satisfy the aspects of color, flavor and texture of the regular dal.

My best bet – Corn!

When I put this recipe together, I had no clue how the outcome would taste. Surprisingly it’s been a roaring hit and we’ve enjoyed this “corn dal” many a times, now. To me, this is an easy recipe and also a way to bring a touch of Indian cuisine to this cereal grain.

Ingredients

1½ cups fresh Corn kernels ( If using frozen, thaw them to room temperature before use)
½ cup Onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Fennel seeds
¼ cup fresh Peas
¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ teaspoon Cumin-Coriander powder
½ teaspoon Red Chili powder
½ teaspoon fresh ground Black pepper
1 Green chili, finely chopped
¼ cup Cilantro, fresh and finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoon Oil
½ to 1 cup Water
Salt

I included fennel seeds and fresh cilantro in this recipe as the aromatics. To enhance the yellow color, I threw in a few peas for the contrast while cooking. The sweetness from both the corn and peas blend very well with the heat from the spices.


Corn Peas2

Method

- Wash and drain the kernels of corn. Microwave for 1 mins, to slightly soften the kernels.

- Add oil in a skillet, add chopped onion. Sauté on medium flame till onion turns transparent.

- Add in green chili, turmeric powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder, cumin-coriander powder and fennel seeds. Mix well. Sauté on low for 1-2 mins.

- Next add in corn kernels and chopped cilantro. Sauté for 2-3 mins. Remove from heat.

- Cool the mixture to room temperature. Blend it using an electric food processor/blender to a thick paste using water (½ - 1 cup). Make sure that the corn is completely crushed and no kernels are left intact.

- Pour the mixture into the skillet, cook on medium, covered for 4-5 mins. Add fresh green peas. Cook covered for another 3-4 mins.

- Cook uncovered for 1-2 mins.

- Serve hot with Rice or Rotis.

Each time we've had guests over and I have served it, they all seem to have enjoyed it and have just one question for me ........"What's in this dal?".
:-)

This turned out to be a nice way to surprise my guests with the tini-mini cooking skills acquired in my little experimental kitchen!

15 comments:

Deepa Kuber said...

different one.looks delicious.

Unknown said...

hey eskay...quite a different Dal.

Srivalli said...

that looks yum!..surprising to find a corn in a dal...

Jaya M said...

oh its a good one ,I really think its very interesting and delicious ..Corn Dal..
hugs and smiles
jaya

sra said...

That's ingenious!

sunita said...

Eskay, the dal looks delish! No wonder everyone loved it :-) Great idea...thanks for sharing :-)

Divya and Chaya said...

wow, a nice one!!

Revathi said...

Totally different touch - I will try this out -

Uma said...

Fantastic dal! Looks so colorful.

Finla said...

It looks delicious and quiet different like you said.

Anonymous said...

Sounds wonderful...have to give it a try.

Mansi said...

Eskay, that is such an innovative twist on the dal recipe! wonderful, I'm gonna try it soon:)

btw, I hope you can participate in the Balanced Breakfasts event I'm hosting for WBB this month!:)

Linda said...

Eskay, this is positively inspired! I would never have thought of such a thing, and it sounds, and looks, delicious! :)

Sihi said...

Thank you Mansi for the invitation. My entry on its way to you:)

Sihi said...

Thank you Anjali, Saswati, Srivalli, Jaya, Sra, Sunita, Dee & Chai, Revathi, Uma, Happy Cook, MCF, Mansi and Linda for all those kind words. Glad you all liked it.