precious evening twilight
“Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, bears your signature.”
~Thich Nhat Hahn~
soothing split moong dal
Serves 3
Inspired by our teacher, Ganapati Aarya.
I have been making this a lot lately, sometimes as a soup or other times with rice and a simple palya. Drizzled with ghee, it is a complete soothing, easy to digest and cleansing meal. Brings strength, balance along with calmness and quietness to the body and mind. Helpful to the elderly and due to its lightness can be used during a period of sickness. Supports the yogic practice.
I like to add thinly sliced cabbage or chuchu and grated carrot just towards the end of cooking. If using whole moong dal instead of the split decrease the amount of dal to ½ cup and proceed with the recipe.
ingredients
¾ cup/125g moong dal split (split yellow lentils)
4 cups/1-litre water
1 tsp rock salt
1½ tsp jaggery/brown sugar
¼ cup/20g dried shredded coconut
1 heaped tsp finely chopped ginger
voggarane
1 Tbsp ghee
½ heaped tsp black mustard seeds
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
⅛ tsp asafoetida powder (hingu)
1 medium red chilli
10 fresh/dried curry leaves
⅛ heaped tsp turmeric powder
juice of half a lemon or more to taste
¼ cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
to serve
rice
preparation
1. In a medium saucepan, wash dal until the water runs clear, pour in water and bring to boil, then lower the heat to maintain a rapid simmer – simmer until creamy and the dal has broken down – approximately 30 minutes.
If using a pressure cooker, allow for three whistles before turning off the heat, then set aside for 20 minutes or until the pressure has subsided.
2. While waiting for the dal to cook, chop the chilli into three pieces and tear the curry leaves in half (this way everyone is guaranteed to consume a curry leaf and benefit from their medicinal properties).
3. Once the dal has softened, add salt, jaggery, coconut and ginger – simmer for 5 minutes more, then turn off heat, cover and set aside.
prepare the voggarane
4. In a small pan over medium heat, heat ghee, add mustard seeds; when the seeds turn grey and pop, turn down the heat and add cumin seeds, asafoetida powder, and chilli – fry until sizzling and fragrant.
5. Add the curry leaves and turmeric powder – fry for 30 seconds, swishing the pan around to allow for the spices to fry evenly, then pour the voggarane into the dal.
6. Stir in the lemon juice , add coriander – stir to combine. Check for seasoning, adding more salt or lemon if needed.
Goodness shared by Stacey
