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22
Toor Dal and Amaranth Leaves - two ways
November 22, 2007 |
Toor Dal (split pigeon peas) is as integral to the Indian pantry as salt, oil, sugar and rice.
The generic word for lentils in many north Indian languages is ‘dal‘, while it’s ‘parippu‘ in south India. If someone mentions ‘dal’ or ‘parippu’ without specifying the variety of lentil, it is assumed that he/she is referring to toor dal (also called ‘tuvar dal‘ or ‘arhar dal‘ ).
Toor dal is commonly cooked in a liquid, soupy form, as an accompaniment to rice or flatbreads. It pairs wonderfully with greens. Amaranth leaves have a mild flavour and cook to a creamy texture, complementing the dal perfectly (see Daal Dhokli with Amaranth).
Amaranth leaves, also called Pigweed (huh???), Red Spinach and Chinese Spinach
We sought to create a steamed snack with these two ingredients, making the recipe up as we went along. The results were quite rewarding.
Toor Dal and Amaranth Dhoklas - steamed and microwaved, with coconut-cilantro chutney
Dhoklas are steamed snacks made with either flours or lentils, from Gujarat in western India. (See Khaman Dhokla)
We steamed one batch in an idli mould, and microwaved another batch.
(Yields 12 idli-sized dhoklas, 6 small round dhoklas, and 4 adais)
1 cup toor dal (soaked for 4 hours or overnight) and drained
1.5 cups plain yogurt (we used lowfat)
1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan)
1 heaped teaspoon chopped fresh chillies (we used the red ones)
1/2 inch piece of ginger, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
amaranth leaves, blanched in boiling water, drained, squeezed and chopped - 1 cup
** or 5 ounces frozen
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp Eno fruit salt (or an Alka Seltzer Original tablet powdered)
oil for greasing moulds
1. Grind the toor dal to a smooth paste using 1 cup of yogurt, chillies, ginger and garlic.
2. Add the the remaining ingredients (except the Eno Fruit salt and the oil), mix and set aside. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the batter is too thick. It should be of dropping consistency.
3. Put a large vessel or pressure cooker with about 3 cups water on the stovetop to heat. Grease a round pan or pressure cooker insert vessel, (we like a round of parchment at the bottom as additional insurance). (see this pictorial) or use an idli mould, as we did.
4. Add the Eno to the batter at the last minute, and mix until it gets foamy. Put the batter into the vessel, and steam. Do not use the weight if using a pressure cooker.
5. Steam for 12-15 minutes, and check with a toothpick if it’s done.
6. Let it rest for 3 minutes, then remove onto a plate with a butter knife. If using a flat large vessel, loosen the edges, invert and cut into diamonds. (see Khaman Dhokla)
Serve with chutney of choice.
To microwave:
Put batter in a microwave muffin mould. For even cooking, do not exceed 1/2 to 3/4 inches of batter in thickness. Steam for 3 minutes, let it rest for 3 more minutes, and unmould. We didn’t use any oil to grease the pan.
We had another cup of batter left, with which we travel to south India.
Toor Dal and Amaranth Adai
Adai is a thick, crispish pancake made with rice and lentils.
To 1 cup of dhokla batter, we added 2 tablespoons each of brown rice flour and semolina.
If preparing batter just for adai, the Eno can be replaced with a pinch of baking soda, and whole rice can be soaked and ground up with the toor dal (roughly 2 parts dal to 1 part rice).
White rice flour works fine, but if you prefer brown rice flour and can’t buy it locally, it is easy to make. Take brown rice, put it in a flat layer in a microwave safe container, zap for 30-45 seconds, or until toasty and aromatic. Or if making a big batch, bake at 350 F until toasty and aromatic. Be careful not to char it. Cool a bit and grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder.
Heat a flat pan, put a couple drops of oil in it, and spread the oil around with a piece of kitchen tissue. Spread the batter around starting from the centre in a concentric motion. When it turns crisp and golden on one side, flip it and cook the other side.
We use a non-stick pan and usually need oil only for the first one.
Serve with chutney.
Related posts
adai, Amaranth-Leaves, arhar-dal, dhokla, Flours, gujarat, Gujarati, Lentils, split-pigeon-peas, toor-dal, tuvar-dal, vegetarian recipes
SPEAK YOUR MIND
35 Comments so far
awesome pics..I am so envious of the pics..
wow…all the dishes are looking so great.. :no:..what you did it in mw???..you could’ve waited till next month right.. 
for my event!1 
Between the steamed and the microwaved which ones did you prefer? I used my microwave idli stand just once - it dries out the idlies too much despite the water vessel.
I did try dal dhokli after your nostalgic trip last ti me…it looked beautiful and was really photogenic too (the whole process) but I found it too gaj-gaj (gluggy )…but since you rave, I will try it one more time…
i had the same problem with the microwave when i made it as one lot in a plate like thing and not in separate muffin cups. the edges get dry and the middle is not cooked. i did 3 minutes exactly, and it worked great this time. very little mess and almost no difference in texture. i think it’s important not to exceed 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness.
idlis don’t work as well, ‘cos they are fermented, while these have eno. makes them rise really high. so no, i wouldn’t microwave idlis. yeah, the dal dhokli is gooey, but that’s exactly why i love it. some people have a problem with the texture. coffee has some awesome stuffed dal dhoklis on her blog. try that. - b.
Adai in the pan is truly remarkable.
Great Recipes- seem so easy , healthy and tasty! happy Thanksgiving to Jai and Bee from D&C
wow looks great and nice way to cook 
the adai on the stove looks amazing. and nice recipe too. i dont know if amarynth is easy to get here. the prob is i dont know the local names of any of these things. but def wanna try this recipe.
should get an idly mould before this. dont have one cuz i hate idlies
Adai looks 
wow….i love both these ways with toor dal…. the adai looks mind blowing…..hmmmmm
Lovely pictures and recipes. While microwaving food which is normally steam-cooked, try placing half a glass in the microwave. The steam ensures that the food doesn’t dry out as much. I still prefer making idlis the “old” way.
Adais also taste wonderful with powdered jaggery or home-made unsalted butter.
Oh wow! These are things that I just do not dare to make at home. I wish you had invited me over!
Great ideas! and i want some amaranth :-D.
Beautiful and tasty entries for JFI..Toor dal:)
great recipes, even greater photos! Happy Thanksgiving to you both
Bee
I have never seen anything that amazing!!!
I have to try these!! they look absolutely delicious!!
Now the difficult bit is we don’t get amaranth leaves in our town!
(Goggling in marvel) Can’t. Wait. To. Try. ‘Em.
Dhoklas are looking yummy!
Hey guys, I love these recipes, and lovely photos as well. That adai shot really belongs in a magazine or something. Are you sure you two didn’t miss your calling?
Thanks for this wonderful contribution to JFI Toor
lovely twist to the dhokla
they look so light n fluffy.
What a lovely idea to make dhoklas.. Nice!
The adai looks perfect.
Wow, love the pics esp of ‘adai in kadai’ 
These look superb, seems you had a feast and one that’s healthy too!
Hey! Why Eno and why not regular baking soda? Do you need the citric acid? Also doesn’t Alka Seltzer contain aspirin?
Your adai sounds like a great way to “hide” brown rice Jessica Seinfeld style and finish it off - my family does not like it and cares not how healthy it is. I’ll probably use baby spinach instead of amaranth.
eno makes it fizz up and rise much better. alka seltzer does contain aspirin. i’ve used it for dhoklas before when i haven’t been able to get hold of eno. - b.
Hi Bee,
love that doklas , toor dal and amaranth adai with coconut-cilantro chutney!!
Nice combo
thanks for sharing.
vineela
Never heard of these doklas. Love the adai and the adai pictures
Yeah, yeah, yeah, BUT, it is the chutney that I’m most interested in
You know, being a choka gal and all
One can use Methi Leaves or spinach instead of amaranth leaves.
I had read similar recipe on tarla dalal’s blog, my family loves all kinds of dhoklas
Another great post from you guys. Great looking, great sounding. I can almost smell them from here….
Truly delicious. Adai looks great.
I must try the dhokla/idli thing… I am certain we’ll love them.
Two more new dishes..way to go! 
Love your photographs.
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The natural light in your pictures spells a certain warmth. Seeing after long time on your blog. All those variations looks lovely.