Daal means lentil in Hindi. Balti means a bucket. A bucket full of Lentils. This dish is purely vegetarian and gluten free.

Growing up, Daal Tadka was a must, once a week and it was made by Dad. I must say, when he visited us recently to the states, he made this dish on a very high demand for his son in law. My Dad cooks only Daal tadka, Egg Bhurji and amazing Parathas. Those are his specialties. I enjoyed every time he served me these yummy dishes.

Some days call for a simple daal with rice. Hubby made this delicious Balti daal for me. Its Indian comfort food. I hope y’all love the recipe as much as I did, reminiscing old days.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup Pigeon peas (Toor Daal)

- 3 cups water

- 1 tsp turmeric powder

- 1 tsp asafetida

- 3 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter)

- 1 inch ginger chopped

- 2 garlic cloves chopped

- 2 green chilis chopped

- 1 onion finely chopped

- 2 tomatoes chopped

- 1 tsp mustard seeds

- 1 sprig curry leaves

- 1 tsp red chili powder

- 1 tsp coriander powder

- salt to taste

- 4 tbsp chopped cilantro

- 1 tsp cumin seeds

- 3 red chilies (whole)

Method: In a pressure cooker, add daal, turmeric, salt and 2 cups water and cook it for 6-7 whistles. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, cook these ingredients in a saucepan for 20-25 mins until the daal is completely soft and can be mashed easily. Add more water if you need. In another pan, add 1 tbsp ghee. Let it heat and then add mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add curry leaves, onions and salt and saute until golden brown. Now add ginger, garlic and green chilies and sauté it for few mins. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, asafetida and chopped tomatoes. Let it cook for 5 mins. Transfer the pressure cooked daal to this masala mix and mix properly. Add more water. Cook it till it boils. Add chopped cilantro. Turn off the flame. In a small pan, add ghee. Let it heat. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, whole dried red chilies and red chili powder. Let it splutter. Add this hot to the daal and serve with steamed Basmati rice. Enjoy!!