Varan Bhat (Dal and Rice)



Varan Bhat is to a Maharashtrian what rice and beans are to our Mexican friends. This is the one dish that for some reason never tastes as good in a restaurant as it does at home. More so for lunch than diner. And if you nail the combination of the dal, salt, lemon and ghee at the first helping, just stop. The second helping will never taste as good. A good batch of dal is probably the second yardstick for judgement that the mother-in-law uses against the new bride after the roundness of a chapati. Here's to a start to a good finger licking lunch.

Ingredients
1 cup Toor Dal (pigeon peas)
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
2 cups water
Salt to taste
Lemon, sliced
1 tsp Ghee

Method
In a pressure cooker cook the pigeon peas till they are completely soft and almost dissolved. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, boil in a pot till cooked.)
Set aside.
In a pot, heat the oil.
Add cumin and asafoetida and allow to cook in the oil.
Add turmeric and then the dal.
Whisk the dal and add water to achieve desired consistency
Add salt according to taste

Cook rice with a little extra water so that it is softer than usual.
Serve dal over rice generously and top it with salt, a few drops of lemon juice and ghee.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi Indrajeet,
Nice blog you have written here! Debu passed me the link and I had the pleasure of reading your posts. Nice writing :)
-Nivedita
(btw I am Debu's other half, unfortunatly we have not been introduced before :( )
TCB Walsh said…
That looks like a lot of work! Why bother with Varan Bhat when I can rip open a Pop Tart (toasting is strictly optional) and wash it down with a couple of Pabst Blue Ribbons in about a minute and a half.
Anonymous said…
Indrajeet .... Nice Varan bhat recipe .. M a gujju but love varan bhat for its simplicity in cooking n digesting :-) ...
Anonymous said…
Simple and delicious-nothing beats the varan bhat taste specially when you are in mood for a quick light healthy meal !!!
Anonymous said…
I am looking for cooker-chi bhandi for cooking rice and dal in U.S. Like the three-tier stand we get in India. I have a set I bought in India. I am looking one for my daughter.
Anonymous said…
I think varan bhat is delicious
Anonymous said…
Varan Bhat with papad, achar & Salad
so delicious
Ritesh sharma said…
You have thoroughly explained the recipe of varan bhaat, Thanks for sharing this with us.

toor dal online
tuvar dal online
toor dal online india

Popular posts from this blog

Sada Dosa

Kayani Bakery and the Mawa Cake.

Matki chi Usal (Moth Bean Curry)