Dals

[rajsuman]

I was reading Italian Food by Elizabeth David when I came across a recipe where you first fry onions in oil, then add the lentils, fry some more, add water and cook until the lentils are done. That made me wonder if such a practice exists in Indian cooking. Does it? Any advantages of doing this?

Suman

[gingerly]

one that comes to mind is moong that's dry roasted before cooking to prevent it disintegrating completely.i don't know if this has any other advantages.

[Spiceroute]

toor dal when sauted ( almost to a light brown color ) before being cooked has a very different flavour when compared to the non fried dal.

I usually fry the pre dal when its just plain dal ( just adding salt , a lil sugar and sp of ghee after its cooked ) , its usually served so as an accompaniment to charu ( which is no dal rasam) or majjiga pulusu ( andhra version of kadhi)

[smita kaul]

My grandmother toasts her dals before she uses it to make sambar and thogayal (in the case of dal based ones) as well as before putting it into ghee to garnish it on poriyals. (cabbage, beans). I recollect her saying that she did it as part of her general practice because she was not sure how old the dals were and it being India and humid there was great potential for spoilage. Another aunt of mine tells me it helps digestion...

My two bits into the untried waters of egullet forums... I am new here and look forward to enjoying and learning and contributing to the forum and getting to know new people.

[sandgaw]

My first post to egullet ! There are two ways I make dal, first is the regular way, boil dal first, then give tadka to the cooked dal. The other (lazy) way is to sautee onions, tomatoes and add spices (just like you would do when making a subzi), then add dal and water and let it pressure cook. The advantage for me in the latter case is that the second method is faster, and utilizes only one utensil (I do everything in the pressure cooker).

[jw46]

My first post to egullet !

Welcome, This is a friendly bunch...Enjoy your visits here...

The closest I've been to India is Indiana... ...But loves the flavor. and the aroma of the food...

[gingerly]

My grandmother toasts her dals before she uses it to make sambar and thogayal (in the case of dal based ones) as well as before putting it into ghee to garnish it on poriyals. (cabbage, beans).  I recollect her saying that she did it as part of her general practice because she was not sure how old the dals were and it being India and humid there was great potential for spoilage.  Another aunt of mine tells me it helps digestion...

hello there-chiming in to agree with your grandma!i remember having a good laugh over homegrown recipes that begin'sieve the flour nicely and remove any weevils/worms'!hmm maybe your aunt too-toast is much easier on the stomach than fresh bread!

[Episure]

Any dal kernel when subject to browning/frying develops a 'nuttier' flavor.