Okay, so everyone knows how to make dal, right. It is quite an easy job to mix different dals, combine them with tomato and spices, cook it all together and serve it as a soup. However, when it comes to making finger-licking good dal, it does need a bit of learning.
I make dal the traditional way Bohra Muslims do. It is a kind of thick, spicy dal. It doesn't have the sweetness and dilute texture of a Gujarati dal; neither does it resemble the Dal Maharani. It is more like the tadka dal of the north.
There are two ways to spice up dal. One way is to temper it from over the top after the dal has already been cooked. The second way is to start a tempering in a kadhai, and then add the cooked dal over it. You could go either way. The most essential steps are thorough cooking of the dal, using a hand mixer to homogenise the dal (if it hasn't done so already with the cooking) and using spices in the right proportions.
During the initial dal cook, use only turmeric, whole green chillis and salt, with tomatoes. In the temper, first splutter cummin seeds and mustard seeds, then add the long, thin onion; after the onions have turned a pink-brown, add garlic paste, temper further, then add ground spices like coriander-cummin powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, etc.
The lamb pieces you use to make the dal gosht must be from a tender animal. I use lamb chops with bone in; you may want to use other portions. The shoulder or the shank are equally tender. Again, there are two ways to cook the lamb. You may either marinate the lamb pieces and then add them to the cooking dal so that it all cooks together, or you can cook the lamb separately and then combine the dal with it at the last step. Regardless of which way you go, you do need to make sure that the lamb meat is properly cooked.
For the meat marinade, use tomato paste or live curd along with powdered spices, a ginger garlic paste and salt as per taste.
I have often found that using whole green chillies during the initial cooking of the dal in a pressure cooker gives you a satisfying pungency with the freedom to eat those pieces of chilli with your dal or dal gosht. Others may prefer small red chillis or red chilli powder. Again, that is your personal preference. How much chilli to add is also a personal thing. The same is true of salt. I do advise adding salt into the dal initially rather than adding it as a last step to "season as per taste".
Finally, what do you eat the dal-gosht with? Well, freshly cooked basmati rice is one option. I usually stir in a few chapatis broken into bits. And garnish the whole mix with onion kachumber - the simple thin diced onions with coriander, diced green chilli and lime juice.
Try these tips and see how your dal-gosht turns out.
Do you have your own tips on how to make dal-gosht? Do share them in the comments section.
I make dal the traditional way Bohra Muslims do. It is a kind of thick, spicy dal. It doesn't have the sweetness and dilute texture of a Gujarati dal; neither does it resemble the Dal Maharani. It is more like the tadka dal of the north.
There are two ways to spice up dal. One way is to temper it from over the top after the dal has already been cooked. The second way is to start a tempering in a kadhai, and then add the cooked dal over it. You could go either way. The most essential steps are thorough cooking of the dal, using a hand mixer to homogenise the dal (if it hasn't done so already with the cooking) and using spices in the right proportions.
During the initial dal cook, use only turmeric, whole green chillis and salt, with tomatoes. In the temper, first splutter cummin seeds and mustard seeds, then add the long, thin onion; after the onions have turned a pink-brown, add garlic paste, temper further, then add ground spices like coriander-cummin powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, etc.
The lamb pieces you use to make the dal gosht must be from a tender animal. I use lamb chops with bone in; you may want to use other portions. The shoulder or the shank are equally tender. Again, there are two ways to cook the lamb. You may either marinate the lamb pieces and then add them to the cooking dal so that it all cooks together, or you can cook the lamb separately and then combine the dal with it at the last step. Regardless of which way you go, you do need to make sure that the lamb meat is properly cooked.
For the meat marinade, use tomato paste or live curd along with powdered spices, a ginger garlic paste and salt as per taste.
I have often found that using whole green chillies during the initial cooking of the dal in a pressure cooker gives you a satisfying pungency with the freedom to eat those pieces of chilli with your dal or dal gosht. Others may prefer small red chillis or red chilli powder. Again, that is your personal preference. How much chilli to add is also a personal thing. The same is true of salt. I do advise adding salt into the dal initially rather than adding it as a last step to "season as per taste".
Finally, what do you eat the dal-gosht with? Well, freshly cooked basmati rice is one option. I usually stir in a few chapatis broken into bits. And garnish the whole mix with onion kachumber - the simple thin diced onions with coriander, diced green chilli and lime juice.
Try these tips and see how your dal-gosht turns out.
Do you have your own tips on how to make dal-gosht? Do share them in the comments section.
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