Urad Dal with Tomatoes, Spices and Coconut

This soupy, yet creamy curry is very easy to digest and was inspired from 660 Curries, a favored book that I always browse through when I am looking for a simple, but tasty meal solution. As I have noted before, this cookbook is not vegetarian, but there are tons of creative vegetarian recipes, including ideas for appetizers, spice blends, egg curries, vegetables, legumes, rice and breads. Since I have been eating a lot of dishes with cheese lately, I wanted a vegan meal to cleanse the soul. Serve with basmati rice or Indian flat bread for a complete and satisfying dinner.

Urad Dal with Tomatoes, Spices and Coconut

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from 660 Curries Cuisine: Indian Published on March 10, 2010 Easy, light, creamy and spicy Indian soup Print this recipe Ingredients: 1-inch piece tamarind pulp 1/3 cup dried grated unsweetened coconut 1 cup split skinned urad dal 3 cups water 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 2 tablespoons ghee, butter or oil 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 5 green chilies, seeded and minced 5 dried whole red chilies, crumbled 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed 1-inch fresh ginger, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne 1 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango) powder 1 large tomato, finely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste generous handful of dried curry leaves Instructions: Soak the tamarind pulp in 1 cup of hot water for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour. Strain the liquid into a bowl with a fine-meshed strainer, squeezing as much liquid as possible out of the tamarind pulp. Discard the pulp and set aside the liquid. Soak the coconut in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain and set aside. Wash the urad well in a strainer. Transfer to a large saucepan, pour in 3 cups of water, and add the turmeric and the tamarind water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the urad dal is tender — about 20 minutes. While the urad dal is cooking, heat the ghee, butter or oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and stir for a minute. Now add the chilies, garlic, ginger, cayenne and amchoor powder, and stir for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, cocount, salt and curry leaves. Simmer until the mixture is thickened — about 5 minutes. Pour into the cooked dal, then stir and simmer for about 10 minutes, adding more water if needed. Makes 4 to 5 servings

More urad dal recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Urad Dal with Tomatoes
Fennel Flavoured Urad Dal Soup
Savory Rice and Urad Dal Pancakes

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