Dal, in most Indian households is ubequetiois and gets prepared almost every day. For those who are vegetarian, this is the main source of protein in their diet. What this means is that there are probably as many variations of dals as there are households in the country!

I came across this recipe for Khatti Dal which literally means ‘Sour Dal’ in my Facebook feed. I really don’t know which website this was from, so I can’t credit them here. I also slightly changed the recipe because I only saw it once and it may not be the most authentic recipe around.

The recipe was this slightly garlicky dal with the children saying it reminded them of a garlic sambar or rasam. I thought though it reminded me of a puli kozhambu. Irrespective of what this dal reminded us of, it was delicious and is a definite keeper in our home.

Here’s the recipe I made so I can refer to it the next time I make it.

Hyderabadi Khatti Dal

Ingredients:

• 1 cup toovar dal, washed and soaked for 15 mins in warm water
• 1 small lime sized ball of tamarind (or 1-2 tbsp tamarind paste)
• 1 medium sized tomato
• 2 tbsp grated garlic
• 1.5 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 medium sized green chillies
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp ghee or oil
• 2-3 dried red chillies
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Soak the tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes, squeeze and mash it and strain the water. Keep aside
• In a pressure cooker, add the toovar dal and 1.5 cups water with the turmeric powder, 1 tbsp each of grated ginger and garlic and half the asafoetida.
• Make an x slit in the stem of the tomato and add it to the soaked dal and then pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure reduce.
• When the pressure reduces, open the cooker and remove the tomato gently. Remove the skin which should have started peeling and put it back with the dal. Using a hand-held blender or whisk, whisk the dal till it becomes a smooth paste.
• Switch on the gas again. Chop the green chilli into 2-3 pieces and add it to the dal along with the tamarind water. Add the tamarind water slowly till it reaches the sourness you like. When it comes to a boil, add the salt, red chilli powder and coriander powder and let it come to a nice rolling boil. Boil on a medium heat for around 10 minutes till the raw smell of the tamarind goes away. Check for seasoning and add what extra is needed. Keep aside.
• In a smaller skillet, add the ghee or oil and when it warms up, add the cumin seeds and let the seeds crackle. Then add the curry leaves, the balance of garlic and ginger and the red chillies. Let the grated ginger, garlic and red chillies start to brown switch off the flame and pour this tempering directly into the dal.
• Garnish with coiander leaves and cover for 10 minutes till the flavours blend well. Serve hot with plain rice.