“Simple Hinga Dali (Tuvar Dal seasoned with Asafoetida)” … I have lovely childhood memories of enjoying this simple dali with rice as I was reluctant to eat spicy dishes … Amma always kept aside for me some dali cooked with addition of green chillies- hing uddaka before adding on panna/ tempering … I would make small lemon sized balls with rice, dunk it in dali and relish to heart’s content may be with a podi/ upkari/ papad … however, my favorite combo then and now is still when served with vodi or fish fries … I am sure many of you too have nostalgic childhood food memories that you still miss and try to catch up on, Isn’t it ??? … Yummilicious …
** Hinga Dali is nothing but tuvar dal cooked with a few green chillies and tempered with hing/ asafoetida. A simple dal that tastes awesome served with plain rice especially when the weather is not so good or when one wants to simply go light on meals. The most famous “Dalitoy” from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine is a spiced tuvar dal, that is prepared in most homes in community to be served during meals, however when there are young children at home, say below the age of 5 yrs or so, they are served this simpler version of hing dal, to avoid excess addition of spice in their meals.
** As mentioned in title I have nostalgic memories of relishing this dal dunking rice balls in it along with some veggie upkari/ bhaji etc. the most favorite combo being beans/ bhendi/ podu/ vodi/ fish fry. Till I reached almost 12-15 yrs of age, I refused to eat any spicy gravy dishes and stuck to these meals, enjoying spicy dishes served like a pickle. It is only after 18-20 yrs that I slowly tried eating fish curries etc. however, hinga Dali remained my favorite to date and I make it a point even now to keep aside some dali for me before tempering when there are fish fries/ fried vodi’s as I love the combo very much.
** Oh, yes, before I forget I must mention other favorite choice with this hinga dali, it’s none other than kele kachri (raw banana wafers). I am sure all of you know about these crispy wafers/ chips/ kachri prepared with raw nendrabale kele (banana), a favorite among all GSB Konkani Saraswats. It occupies a prominent place in all festive/ celebration or any other occasion menu’s and is easily available in stores though homemade ones tastes the best. Most of the times I just serve it with meals instead of preparing any fries as both hubby and me love it very much, try it, sure to be loved by all.
** This is a simple but heartwarming combo especially during monsoon when all you want is to have hot meals and snuggle warm in bed for a nap on holidays. For those who love fish can pair it a few fries while others can make do with a little bit of pickle/ nonche or simple veggie upkari/ bhaji. I have come acroos many of my Maharashtrian friends who serve similar dal referred to as Varan which is either garnished with coriander leaves or tempered with a little bit of jeera. Well, I guess all round India we do have many similar dishes with minute differences and titles that we all enjoy to relish.
** Here is my “Simple Hinga Dali (Tuvar Dal seasoned with Asafoetida)” … my style …
** Frankly there is no recipe as such to this Dali, so will just explain it in short. Again, I repeat this hinga Dali is NOT given a “panna/ tadka/ tempering” and is served as it is topped with homemade ghee. Serving a wedge of lemon/ nimboo/ limbiyo is a matter of choice and personally I do not prefer it with this Dali as back home during childhood we never served it that way. However, hubby being born and brought up in Mumbai, prefers it add on a dash of lemon juice, so that’s it, go ahead with your own choice.
** Wash tuvar dal well changing water 2-3 times, then soak it in water for 30 minutes. Drain off the water, once again wash the dal once in fresh water, drain and put it in a pressure cooker along with water, say about 2 inches above the level of the dal. Add 1 tsp of coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tela), ½ tsp of haldi/ turmeric powder and then pressure cook on medium heat to one whistle. Lower the heat and further cook for another 5 minutes, do not worry if the pressure cooker blows a few whistles in between. Then raise the heat and further cook to another 1-2 whistles only.
** Remove from heat and keep it aside to cool and the pressure to be released on its own, when able to open the lid, do so and check out if the dal has cooked to very soft consistency. Usually the dal get cooked when cooked this way, however at times it differs from dal to dal. If you find that the dal has not cooked well, you can add some water, mix well and cook on medium heat for another 1-2 whistles. Remember the tuvar dal cooked should be soft and mushy and not have been burnt, so be careful.
** Add cooked dal into a cooking vessel along with 2 cups of water and mix well. Churn it with a hand/ electric churner to get an even textured thick dal. Check consistency and add more or as is required water only, this dal consistency is slightly thicker than that of dalitoy, though if desired you may keep it thinner textured too, however amma always served it slightly thicker. Now add 2-3 green chilly (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi) cut lengthwise, 1 tblsp of hinga uddaka (prepared Hinga Uddaka), salt (namak/ meeta) to taste, mix well and cook on medium heat stirring well in between.
** Note : Addition of number of green chilly is a matter of individual choice and you may increase if desired. However, I must mention that this is a mildly spiced dal that taste best with minimum spice. I will be sharing method of preparing “hinga uddaka/ asfoetida water” at the bottom of this recipe, again if it you do not stock up of gummy hing used for it, you can always add powder in which case you will have to season it in oil.
** When you see bubbles appearing on surface of the dal, check consistency and add water if required as it tends to thicken on cooking. Also do not leave the dal unattended while cooking to avoid it being burnt at the bottom. Add 1 tblsp of homemade ghee, mix well, remove from heat and keep covered for 15 minutes for flavor of hing to be well infused. Just before serving check consistency and adjust accordingly.
** “Simple Hinga Dali (Tuvar Dal seasoned with Asafoetida)” is done and ready to be served. Always serve the dal steaming hot with rice topped with a teaspoon of homemade ghee and a wedge of lemon (Op: if desired only) along with any side dish of your choice. I love to relish this dal keeping it simple by serving either fish fries or a veggie upkair/ bhaji or any other fries like kele kachri (banana chips), Vodi etc. for best of taste. Trust me this is one of the healthiest and best combination to be relished during monsoon, it’s really heartwarming and tummy friendly and I am sure it is a part of every Indian home for generations now and will continue to do so for coming generations too.
** For “Tava Grilled Rawas (Indian Salmon Fish)” Recipe, Please follow the link given below …
** For Preparing of Hing/ Asafoetida Water From Gummy Hing : Hing water is prepared by putting a small marble sized gummy hing (available in South Indian Stores) into a glass bottle and adding about a small cup of boiled and cooled water to it. Within a few hours the hing will slowly melt and you will get a thick whitish liquid. This is known as hinga uddaka/ asafoetida water. You can store this in fridge and use sparingly as and when needed. We GSB Konkani Saraswat Community usually prepare the same and keep it in the fridge always and use the same for dal, patrado or any other hummana etc. If you do not have the gummy hing or have never used or seen it, check out the picture collage, I have shared the same. Again, if not available, no issues, you can add hing/ asafoetida powder in which case always add it into the hot oil while tempering to get a good aroma.
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