(enough for 6 – 8 persons ; cooking time: 30 – 40 minutes)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (75 g) each: toor dal, mung dal, and urad dal
- 5 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 8 cups (1.9 liters) water
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 green chillies, seeded and minced
- 4 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
- 1 small eggplant, cubed
- 3 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
Procedure
- Wash the dals and soak them for one hour; then let them drain.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee or vegetable oil and fry the ginger. Add the turmeric and the dals. Stir-fry for a minute, add 1 1/4 pints (725 ml) water, and cook over medium heat (skimming off the foam as it accumulates) until the dal becomes soft. Remove the saucepan. Mix the dal in a blender or mash it into a paste. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of ghee or vegetable oil in a saucepan. Fry the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chillies, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Add the cubed eggplant. Stir-fry for 10 minutes until they are butter-soft. Now add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, garam masala, dal paste, and the remaining water. Stir well to mix the ingredients, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender.
- Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice.