I was introduced to Dhansak by my bestie, Kruti. First spoonful of it in my mouth and I instantly fell in love with this spicy mixture. Her sister-in-law is married in a Parsi family who makes dhansak with all the leftovers of vegetables or dal and meat or if you have medley of vegetables in the refrigerator waiting to be used up. Dhanksak is usually non-vegetarian but this is a meatless version with its special spice powder. What's more is that it is so healthy packed with proteins and vitamins and very low in fat. It is served with brown rice and salad and bread butter (which I don't do).
Dhansak Masala:
Ingredients:
6 Dried Whole Red Chilies
2 small Cinnamon Sticks
3 small Bay Leaves
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cumin Seeds
2 Tbsp. Coriander Seeds
1 1/2 Tbsp. Black Peppercorns
3 Black large Cardamoms
2 tsp. Green Cardamoms
1 Tbsp. Dried Fenugreek seeds
1/2 Tbsp. Cloves
1 Tbsp. Mustard Seeds
1/2 Tbsp. Mace powder
1/2 Tbsp. Turmeric powder
Method:
1) Dry roast the whole spices (i.e. except mace powder and turmeric powder) on a medium-low heat in a pan.
2) It should take around 7-10 minutes to roast until the spices are fragrant. Turn off the heat and let the spices cool down. Once cool, in a mixer, add the whole spices and mace and turmeric powder and churn it all until it becomes a fine powder.
Use it according to your spice tolerance in the dhansak recipe. But note that it is very strong. Use it sparingly and if you just want it more hot, add chili powder while cooking dhansak.
Dhansak recipe:
Serves: 8
Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 30 min
Difficulty level: Easy
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Split Moong
1/4 cup Chana Dal
1/4 cup Masoor Dal
1/8 cup Moong Dal
1/8 cup Black Urad Dal
1/8 cup Arhar/Tuvar Dal
1 Medium Potato
15 florets Cauliflower
1 Medium Green Bell Pepper
1 Medium Zucchini/Squash
1 Medium Yellow Squash
15 Baby Carrots
1/2 Large Eggplant
1/2 bunch Spinach
1 cup Fenugreek ( I didn't have it so I substituted it with Kasuri Methi, a big handful)
1 Onion
2 Tomatoes
8 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 inch Ginger
4 tsp. Dhansak Masala
1 Tbsp. Ghee/ Clarified Butter (You can add more. It will enhance the flavors)
1 tsp. Red Chili Powder
Salt as per taste
Lime Juice per your likeness
Water as per the consistency you like
Method:
1) Combine all the dals together and wash them properly. Cut all the vegetables in big chunks.
2) In a large pressure cooker, add the dals, vegetables and greens and sufficient water. Cook them on medium heat for 20 minutes or 2-3 whistles. In the meanwhile, prepare the ginger-garlic paste.
3) Once the cooker cools down, open the lid and beat the mixture to puree consistency. Add more water to your desired thickness. It is not usually watery but on the thicker side.
4) In a tempering pan, add ghee and heat it. Once hot enough, add ginger garlic paste and immediately lower the heat. Sautee the paste till garlic is translucent. Add the dhansak masala and red chili powder. Roast it for few seconds and add this tempered mixture to the dal and vegetable mixture and add salt as per taste after you temper dhansak. Let the dhansak cook with lid open for about 10-15 min on medium-low heat to absorb all the spice flavors.
5) While serving add lime juice if you like feel the need of sourness.
Serve with the brown rice (Recipe below. You can prepare it while your dals and vegs are getting cooked) and salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions seasoned with salt, red chili powder and lime juice. Yummy!
Caramelized Brown Rice:
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 15 min
Difficulty level: Medium
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup Basmati Rice
2 cups Water
1/4 cup Finely chopped Onions
2 tsp. Sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Ghee/Clarified Butter
2 Cloves
2 small sticks Cinnamon
2 Green Cardamom
4 Black Peppercorns
2 Bay leaves
Salt as per taste
Method:
1) Thoroughly wash the basmati rice and drain the water completely.
2) In a cooking pot with thick bottom, heat the ghee. Once hot, sprinkle the sugar making a layer. Turn down the heat a little. Don't stir it. Let it caramelize and turn dark brown in color. Be careful not to burn it. Once caramelized, add the spices. Stir and roast them for a bit.
3) Add the onions and stir the mixture. Let the onions brown a little too.
4) Add the water, rice and salt. Cook it without lid on medium heat till most of water is gone. When there is little water left, lower the heat and cover the pot. In around 5 minutes then, the rice should be cooked well with each grain separate. Turn off the heat and let the rice stay covered.
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