A healthy and delicious Moringa Dal with fresh drumstick leaves, with nutty coconut, and warming spices!

Ingredients:

-          1 cup Moringa leaves

-          1 cup Toor dal (you can also use Moong or Masoor Dal)

-          A pinch turmeric

-          2/3 Garlic cloves

-          4 Green chilies

-          1 inch ginger

-          2 tbsp. grated coconut

-          1 tsp. thick tamarind extract

-          Salt as per your taste

 

Seasoning:

-          2 tbsp. oil

-          1 tsp. Mustard seeds

-          1 tsp. Chana dal

-          1 tsp. Urad dal

-          1 tsp. Cumin seeds

-          6-10 Curry leaves

-          2 red Chilies

Instructions:

-           Rinse the leaves, pat dry using paper towels, and then pull the leaves away from the steam using thumb and index fingers. Discard the stems (chop into small pieces if tender stems are there. They are the good fiber sources).

-     Wash Toor dal and rinse them, add 1 cup of water and pressure cook them for 10-15 minutes or until the dals are soft and mushy. (When you use Masoor dal, you can use 2tsp. rice flour for getting thick consistency)

-      While the lentils are cooking, grind fresh coconut, garlic, green chilies, ginger, cumin (use rice flour if Masoor dal is used) together to a fine paste using a tablespoon of water.

-       Heat a heavy bottom pot on medium heat. Add oil, when it is hot, then add Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds, Urad dal, Chana dal, broken red chilies, curry leaves. Fry for a minute.

-       Open the cooker and whisk/mash the cooked dal with the back of spoon, add turmeric to it and add it to the pot. Add salt and tamarind paste/juice and cook until the dal comes to a full boil. Turn the heat off and the dal is ready to be served with hot rice, Jawar/Bajara roti, Chapati, or parathas.