Indulge with mah ki daal

Punjab, the land of plenty, in keeping with the Zeitgeist, has a cuisine, which caters to the characteristic needs of the people.

Punjabi cuisine is not subtle in its flavour. There are no intricate marinades or exotic sauces but it has potent masalas (spices) cooked with liberal amount of desi ghee and is always served with a good helping of butter or cream.

This week, CNN-IBN Correspondent Bikramjit Ray takes a little break and let's actor Vinod Nagpal and Chef Ashish Joshi do the cooking.

And the piece de resistance of this week is mah ki daal, the most popular dish in Punjab.

Mah ki Daal

Ingredients

500 g urad dal (whole)

Pinch of heeng

2 tbsp mustard oil

1 pc cinnamon stick

1 tsp crushed black pepper

1 tsp crushed big-sized cardamoms

1 tsp crushed chilli

1 tsp chopped ginger

Salt to taste

1 tsp Deghi chilli

Tadka

50 g Desi ghee

100 g chopped onions

75-80 g chopped tomato

10 g chopped garlic

5 g chopped green chilli

5 g green chilli paste

Coriander leaves (for garnishing)

Method

Wash the dal and keep aside for boiling. Add the above ingredients to the dal. Boil on low flame for around two hours or until done. Stir occasionally.

Prepare the tadka

Heat ghee in a pan. Add chopped garlic and onion, saute till light brown. Add all the other ingredients. And cook for some time. Add the tadka to the dal and cook for five minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.