Bhaja Moonger Dal - Roasted Moong Dal with Corn and Spinach

In my house, getting the kids to eat healthy is a lesser challenge than being able to find something that works for everyone. Since the focus had always been substance over form, the kids pretty much eat most things, but have a very low spice tollerance. Simple dishes like this dal however are good options for both the little ones and the grown-ups too. Cooked in a jiffy in a pressure cooker, this dal is later tempered with panch phoron and then for us, tempered again with crushed red pepper. Served with plain rice either brown or white, this makes a lovely soothing meal on a busy cold day.

I have added some ground corn to this, the corn can be added whole but I felt that processing this in a food process with tomatoes and cilantro helped it blend better into the very smooth buttery texture of the dal.

Bhaja Moonger Dal - Roasted Moong Dal with Corn and Spinach

Serve 4-6 people

Ingredients

1/2 cup moong dal
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tomato
1 piece (about 1/2 inch) peeled ginger
3/4 cup frozen or fresh chopped spinach
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp panch phoron
1 lime
2 -3 tbsp chopped cilantro
Optional tempering
1/2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Method of Preparation

1. Roast the lentils in the base of a pressure cooker. This is done by placing the lentils on the dry pressure cooker and cooking them until lightly browned and fragrant.

2. In the meantime, place the corn, tomato and ginger in a food processor until almost a paste.

3 Place the corn, in the pot with the lentils, add 2 cups water, spinach, salt and turmeric and cook under pressure for 7 minutes.

4. Cook throughly and mix well.

5. Heat the ghee and add the panch phoron and cook till this crackles and pour over the dal.

6. Mix well, squeeze the lime juice and stir in the cilantro.

7. If using the optional tempering, roast the crushed red pepper in the oil and pour over the dal.

Dals are a perfect way to mix an assortment of vegetables into our diet. This particular entry being sent to Sharmi, for her cooking for kids event.