(Recipes Based On Dhal, Lentil Recipes, Recipes with Beans, Sambhar Varieties)
A simple and standard Indian meal is rice, roti or chapatti, dal and sabji or a vegetable. Depending on the region where one belongs to, the roti and rice is interchanged, but the dal and the sabji is never inter changeable or irreplaceable. Such is the position of the quintessential “Dal” in our cuisine.
The Indian cuisine is blessed in its own way encompassing a variety in every food item. The Dal also does not fall behind and showcases its own varieties. From thuvar dhal (red gram) to channa dhal (the Bengal gram) to moong dhal (yellow gram), dal is something that constitutes an integral part of every Indian meal. Simple or elaborately cooked, it is the lifeline of a regular Indian platter.
The dals are simple to cook, flavorful and full of nutrients, one is sure to get an amalgamation of great taste with wholesome goodness. The dals in general are the power house of proteins with considerable amounts of fiber and minerals. Each dal variety has its own distinctive nutritive advantages. Moong dal is a diet friendly dal. It has minimal calories and is a rich source of iron and potassium. So diet watchers go ahead and enjoy loads of molakootal, amaranth moong dal curry, and paruppu curry with zero guilt. Channa dal or Bengal gram is the richest vegan source of dietary proteins. It is also rich in minerals like copper, manganese etc. consumption of this dal helps keeping diabetes at bay. Cook Vada curry once a week and throw diabetes out of your life. Thuvar dal or red gram is the most popular dal eaten in India. The dal has immense amounts of complex dietary fibers that help regularize bowel movements. Include sambhar, paruppu urundai kuzhambu, poricha kuzhambu, dal fry as a regular part of your diet. The whole green moong dal has ample mounts of calcium and very little calories. This variety is extremely good for the bones. Mustard greens with moong dal and sprouted moong curry would be a right choice for it.
Channa and rajma are the lentils used in the Indian kitchen to make different gravies, prominent ones being the channa masala and rajma masala, which serves as excellent side dishes for roti, parathas, and pulaos and is usually cooked in the absence of regular dals.
Did u know why the rice or roti is eaten with dal? It is because rice (a medium glycemic index food) when mixed with dal or Sāmbhar lowers down the GI of rice considerably. The tempering or the seasoning on dal is done using ghee, whole spices like cumin seeds, mustard seeds, asofaedita and curry leaves. This tempering apart from imparting flavor to the dal also reduces the Glycemic index (GI) to a large extent. Have you all rushed to the kitchen already to try these different dal varieties? Go ahead!! Cheers!!