Chane Dali- Piyavu- Cabbage Upkari /Bengal Gram Dal- Onion- Cabbage Bhaji.

“Chane Dali- Piyavu- Cabbage Upkari (Bengal Gram Dal- Onion- Cabbage Bhaji/ Stir Fry)” … simple bhaji prepared for lunch today with whatever was available at home … Yummilicious … 

** Here is a simple bhaji/ upkari prepared with cabbage and onions along with chana dal. This is one upkari that I rarely do, in fact I think I somehow never do much of cabbage, and I think I must add in more of those recipes I used to do often earlier during my marriage days. Somehow over years, things changed so drastically that even the pattern of cooking and having meals also got changed and many dishes either took a back seat or got completely forgotten. This lock down has given ample time to go through old diaries and restore those dishes that we stopped making completely. Today found this in one of my old books, and as cabbage was there at home thought of preparing the same for lunch. A simple dish, that tastes great with chapati/ roit and can be carried in lunch box too. 

** Here is my simple recipe “Chane Dali- Piyavu- Cabbage Upkari (Bengal Gram Dal- Onion- Cabbage Bhaji/ Stir Fry)” … My Style … 

** Wash one cup of chana dal/ Bengal gram dal well, drain off excess water and put it in a pressure cooker pan with sufficient water say about ½ inch above the level of chana dal and pressure cook it on medium flame to 3-4 whistles. Remove and keep it aside for the pressure to fall on its own and then remove and keep it ready aside. 

** Heat 2 tblsp of oil in a thick bottomed pan/ kadai, when hot add in 1 tsp of mustard seeds (sasam/rai) and when it crackles add in a few curry leaves (karbev/ kadipatta), ½ tsp of hing powder (asafoetida), 5-6 green chillies (tarni mirsanga/ hirvi mirchi) cut into pieces and fry well for a minute on medium heat. Do not increase the heat too much. 

** Add in 2 medium sized onion sliced finely lengthwise and continue frying for a minute or two and then add in 3-4 cups of cabbage also sliced in the same size that of onions and mix well. Cover and cook for a few minutes till the cabbage is 50% cooked. Now add in ½ tsp of haldi (turmeric) powder, salt to taste, cooked chana dal and mix well. 

** Cover and cook on low heat for a good 5-8 minutes, mixing often to avoid it getting stuck or burnt at the bottom. Do not add water or the whole dish will turn soggy and will not retain crispness and not taste good too. When the upkari/ bhaji has mixed in well and cook to 95% add in 2-3 tablespoon of freshly grated coconut, mix well and remove from fire. 

** “Chane Dali- Piyavu- Cabbage Upkari (Bengal Gram Dal- Onion- Cabbage Bhaji/ Stir Fry)” is done and ready to be served. This upkari/ bhaji tastes best when served hot with roti/ chapatti as a side dish or you can serve it with dal-chawal too. Good healthy home cooked food is the best option now, So, do try out this simple dish and enjoy with your family.