Dhanwani, a Masoor Dal Kadhi from Madhya Pradesh
In a region where ingredients are scarce, dhanwani or dhaniye ki kadhi, is a simple but beloved dish, poured over hot rice, with spongy dhanwani-soaked pakodis.
Like most kids, my journey home from school included a guessing game of what lunch would be. Everything my mother made was absolutely delicious, always, but some things were chart-toppers. Dhanwani took the number two spot always. Number one was whole masoor daal, which looked brown when cooked, which is why it was christened Brown Daal. So deep was our love for Brown Daal that even today, our family WhatsApp group is titled Brown daal, a reminder of our shared childhood and love of food.
Dhanwani, or dhaniye ki kadhi, is a popular dish from Mandla, a small village in Madhya Pradesh, near Jabalpur, from where my father comes from. In fact, so beloved is this dish that many families in the area have their own rendition of this nutritious recipe.
A historically economically-backward region, its recipes are typically easy to make, using a few basic ingredients that are highly nutritious as well as delicious. This recipe has 2 basic ingredients, red masoor dal, and fresh coriander leaves. Masoor daal is easily available in the region because lentils like masoor daal thrive with very little rain.
The recipe is unique in that it uses masoor daal in a novel way. Kadhi is normally made with yogurt and besan (gram flour), but in this case, kadhi is made infusing a slurry of masoor daal with a tempering of hing and jeera. I use Kabuli hing, which has a wonderful, heady aroma, is an umami bomb of flavour, and is great for the gut, helping to digest legumes which are typically gassy foods. Coriander, ginger, and green chilli paste is then added to the daal, and steeped till it releases a wonderful aroma.
One can add an assortment of veggies to the curry, but I have always eaten it with pakodi, or fried dumplings made with the same daal paste. Again one assumes, it simplifies the dish by sticking to minimal ingredients.
Steaming hot basmati rice, drowned in bubbling dhanwani, with spongy dhanwani-soaked pakodis, was a treat for us, as kids. I can still hear our squeals of delight, whenever mum would tell us there was dhanwani for lunch. To be honest, it’s how we feel, even today.
RECIPE: VASUNDHARA’S DHANWANI
Ingredients
1 cup red spilt masoor daal
1 cup fresh coriander leaves
2 tsp jeera
2-4 green chillies
1-inch piece ginger
1 tsp garam masala
A pinch of hing
Oil for tempering
Masala for pakodi
1 tsp jeera
¾ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp haldi
½ tsp coriander powder
Salt, to taste
Method
To make the dhawani
Soak red masoor daal for minimum 2-3 hours.
Wash thoroughly and grind to a fine paste with ½ tsp jeera.
Make a slurry by mixing 1 tbsp of daal paste in 1 cup of water.
In a kadhai, add 1 tsp oil, when hot add jeera and hing. Fry till golden
Add the daal slurry and cover and cook for 5 min over medium heat.
Hing aroma should emanate when you open the lid.
Add a paste of coriander, ginger, green chillies to the daal slurry.
Cover and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.
To make the pakodis
Take the remaining daal paste and add jeera, red chilli powder, haldi, dhania powder and salt.
Whip for 3-4 minutes till nice and airy.
In hot oil, drop small batches of this and fry till golden brown.
Sieve it out of the hot oil and cool for 2 minutes.
Dunk pakodis in salted hot water in a big bowl.
This step ensures the excess oil from the pakodis are expelled in the water and pakodis absorb water and become spongy.
To serve
Into the hot dhanwani, add a pinch of garam masala.
Pour dhanwani into a serving bowl.
Squeeze excess water from the pakodis and add to the dhanwani.
Top with fresh green coriander, chopped.
Serve with piping hot Basmati rice.
Note: We normally eat this with sesame papads, called bijora which are rich in fibre, Vitamin A and B12. These are made in hot months under the sun and store to be fried and consumed through the year.
Vasundhara Jhunjhunwala is a food enthusiast and a food entrepreneur, she revives heirloom recipes of pickles and spices through her brand Old Fashioned Gourmet.
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