Spinach-Mango Dal

Spinach and Mango makes a wonderful, pleasant combination for a dal which is served with rice or rotis. They are cooked with split yellow moong beans which adds an earthy flavor. All together they make a match made in heaven. This recipe is family favorite in many homes in Andhra Pradesh, India. The dal is tangy, yet subtle and lip-smacking good.

Ingredients:

1 cup - yellow moong dal(pesara pappu)
1 cup - roughly chopped spinach
1/2 cup - peeled and diced mango cubes
2-3 - green chillies, slit in halves
1/2 tsp - red chilli powder
1/4 tsp - turmeric
Salt to taste

For tempering :
1 tsp - mustard seeds (rai,avaalu)
1 tsp - cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp - urad dal (mina pappu)
Pinch of asafoetida (inguva)
Few curry leaves
2-3 tsps - Oil


Method:

1. In a pressure cooker, cook moong dal, mango pieces, spinach and green chillies together in 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water. Cook for up to 2 whistles. If you are cooking directly cook using the same amount of water until dal is almost cooked. Please remember, which ever way you are cooking, dal should not turn soft and mushy.


2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, on medium heat. When hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, curry leaves. When mustard seeds splutter and jeera and urad dal turns brown, add the cooked dal mixture.


3. Add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and cook for 5-6 minutes or till your desired consistency. Turn off the heat.


4. Serve hot with white rice or with rotis.

Note:

1. You can avoid using red chilli powder and increase the amount of green chillies or vice-versa.


2. You can substitute moong dal with Tuvar dal.


3. You can add 1/2 cup chopped onion and ginger garlic paste to the above recipe for a variation in taste. If you are adding onion and ginger garlic paste, please add after the tempering, before adding the dal mixture. Saute till onions turn translucent and then add it to the cooked dal mixture. You can also add onions along with dal and the other ingredients in the pressure cooker.


4. You can cook mango pieces separately in a cup of water and add it to the cooked dal.