Lachko Dal

Quick and Easy, thick Gujarati Dal made of Pigeon Peas/Toor Dal

 This plain, thick dal is one of the easiest dishes to make in Indian cuisine. It is home cooking at its simplest, most basic, and is delicious and nutritious at the same time. Since this dal is made entirely without any hot spices, this is usually one of the earliest baby foods. The watered down version of this was one of my baby's first infant foods, and the thicker version is often given to children accompanied with rice and ghee.  As such, the aroma of this yummy dal served on hot rice with ghee always brings back the memories of my childhood.

The toor dal is cooked in a pressure cooker with an equal measure of water until it is soft enough to form a paste. The trick to cooking this dal quickly is to presoak it for upto 2 hours. Any amount of soaking is better than none, and the more you soak it, the quicker the dal cooks.

 Once the dal is cooked, blend it using a hand blender. Add some salt and turmeric and your dal is ready to be served up in a variety of ways. It can be served piping hot with hot rice and a bit of ghee or it can be served as a part of a more elaborate meal, such as with kadhi, rice, shaak (vegetable dish), and chappatis.

Recipe for Lachko Dal

1 cup Split Pigeon Pea (Toor Dal)

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tbsp salt (approx)

Coriander, for garnishing

1. Add approximately 1-1/2 cup water to the toor dal and cook on a low flame till it is soft enough to form a paste. Usually one or two whistles in a pressure cooker does it.

2. Blend using a hand blender before the dal cools down.  

3. Add the salt and turmeric, and adjust salt to taste.

4. Serve hot, garnished with coriander or plain