Dal Banjari

Ingredients:-

1 cup black urad dal (split black lentils with skin)
1/2 cup Bengal gram dal (chana dal)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
2 whole red chillies
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon green chillies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2 tablespoons ghee
salt to taste

Method:-

Clean and wash the dals together. Pressure cook with the turmeric powder, salt and 3 cups of water for 4 to 5 whistles or until the dal is cooked.
Heat the ghee in a pan, add the onion, cloves, cinnamon and red chillies and sauté till onion turns golden brown.
Add the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and chilli powder and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add this to the cooked dal and boil for 4 to 5 minutes.
Serve hot, garnished with the coriander and ginger strips.

For Garnish:-

2 tablespoons chopped coriander.
ginger, cut into thin strips.
A pot of pulses seasoned with simple spices was lit up with firewood and simmered for several hours to make this dal preparation. The cooks would have a meal ready around the time the Maharajas returned from shikaar. Meal would consist of this dal, along with a meat preparation eaten with rotis. This is a quicker version of the traditional recipe but tastes just as delicious.