Bengali Motor Dal
- 75 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Bengali motor dal of yellow split peas cooked in a pressure cooker, with a mustard oil and cumin tempering. Mild, serves 4, ready in 75 minutes with rice.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Good for: Rainy Day
Ingredients
- Yellow Split Peas (Motor Dal)200 grams
Water, For Rinsing500 ml
Turmeric Powder1.5 grams
Green Chilli, Slit10 grams
Salt1 tsp
Sugar½ tsp
Mustard Oil1 tbsp
Cumin1 tsp
Dry Red Chilli2 grams
Bay Leaves1 grams
Ginger, Finely Chopped6 grams
Asafoetida0.3 grams
Coriander Leaves, Chopped4 grams
Contains: wheat.
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 229kcal | 916kcal |
| Protein | 12g | 48g |
| Carbohydrate | 33g | 132g |
| Fat | 6.2g | 25g |
| Fibre | 12g | 46g |
| Sugar | 2.4g | 9.6g |
Method
Rinse the yellow split peas twice with 500 ml water until the water looks clearer. Soak them in fresh water for 30 minutes, then drain. Wash and slit the green chillies, and break the dry red chillies. Peel and finely chop the ginger, and wash and chop the coriander leaves.
Add the soaked split peas, water, turmeric powder and green chilli to a pressure cooker. Cook on medium flame for 3 whistles, then let the pressure release on its own. The dal should be soft and easy to mash.
Open the cooker and mash the dal lightly with a ladle. Add salt and sugar, then boil on medium flame for 5 minutes until the dal is smooth and lightly thick.
Heat mustard oil in a small kadai on medium flame for 1 minute until hot. Add cumin seeds, dry red chilli, bay leaf, ginger and asafoetida. Fry for 2 minutes until the cumin sizzles and the ginger turns lightly golden.
Pour the tempering into the dal and mix well. Simmer on low flame for 3 minutes until the dal reaches a pourable gravy consistency. Add the coriander leaves and switch off the flame. Serve hot with rice or roti.
Before you start
- How long does Bengali Motor Dal take?
- 1 hour 15 minutes from start to finish. That is 40 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Bengali Motor Dal serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Bengali Motor Dal vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Bengali Motor Dal spicy?
- It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Bengali Motor Dal?
- 200 grams Yellow Split Peas (Motor Dal), 1.5 grams Turmeric Powder, 10 grams Green Chilli, 2 grams Dry Red Chilli, 1 grams Bay Leaves, 6 grams Ginger, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Bengali Motor Dal?
- Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
- How many calories are in Bengali Motor Dal?
- About 229 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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