Dal Pakwan- Lentils with Crispy fried Indian flat bread and tamarind chutney
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| Dal pakwan with tamarind chutney |
As a child I remember eating something different every day
for breakfast Paratha, poha, upma, Cholle bature and many other Sindhi dishes. As
opposed to now which are cereals and milk and toast on special occasions,
either because we are too lazy or because we live in a country where eating
cooked breakfast everyday would probably be a lot of effort. Really the reason
is we just don’t have enough time. This is why breakfast items have now become
our weekly dinners. Being a Sindhi and
eating deep fried food is almost interchangeable. Most dishes would involve sautéing
in oil or deep frying. That said it’s the fat that makes the food tasty…think of
the cheesy pizza, cheese balls, cakes or imagine the pav bhaji without butter. And
after all our taste buds are well trained to differentiate that, maybe not the body
which is why being healthy is given so much importance. And for year’s people
lived under a misconception that it’s the fat that makes you fat. Only to find out that sugar is the culprit
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| Dal pakwan with tamarind chutney |
Not sure whether I
am justifying the act of deep frying or suggesting that healthy food is a hoax.
But it gives me immense joy to tell you that here’s a recipe that’s deep fried
yet very balanced, Dal Pakwan which is lentils with crispy bread and tangy
tamarind chutney. It’s definitely not fried chips with fried fish which is why
I think it’s balanced. It’s absolutely delicious and the good news is it’s a
dish that can be made ahead so simply perfect for entertaining. Apart from
soaking the dal overnight this recipe is a breeze…
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| Soaked Chana Daal |
Ingredients:
For the Dal:
Chana Dal (soaked overnight) - 1 cup
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Chilly powder and Dry/Mango Powder for garnishing
For the Pakwan:
1 cup plain flour/Maida
A pinch of baking soda
Oil- 2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1 ½ tsp
Salt to taste.
For the Tamarind
Chutney:
1 Red onion finely chopped.
A tsp of finely chopped coriander
Small green chilly chopped
Half tsp of jaggery or a tsp of Sugar
Tamarind Juice (a tsp of tamarind soaked in a cup of water)
- 1 cup.
Method:
Pressure cook the Dal (soaked overnight) with 2 cups of
water for 4 whistles. Once done, add salt to taste and turmeric powder, bring
to a boil and simmer for 5 min.
For the Pakwan, Mix the cumin seeds, salt, soda and oil to
the plain flour and mix (will look like a bread crumb consistency)
Add water till all the ingredients bind (about 3 tbsp. of
water, can be more or less), cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10 min.
After 10 min, knead the dough, cover and leave aside
To make the tamarind chutney mix all the ingredients and mix
well till jaggery dissolves completely
Heat oil for deep frying the pakwan, Make equal size dough
balls, and roll out as thin as you can.
Deep fry the pakwan, till it turns golden brown. Place on
absorbent paper.
Transfer dal to a bowl sprinkle chilly powder, dry mango
powder and serve hot with pakwans and some tamarind chutney!
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| Dal Pakwan |
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