Moong dal kootu

This simple, healthy and comforting moong dal kootu can be used as a side for chapathi/puri/rice.

Ingredients

Moong dal - 3/4 cup
Toor dal - 1 handful
Finely chopped onion - 1 no (medium)
Finely chopped tomatoes - 4 nos (medium)
Finely chopped cilantro - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 2 nos (slit into two)
Ginger - 1 inch (grated)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Jeera (cumin) - 1/4 tsp
Hing - 1 - 2 pinches
Turmeric powder - 1 - 2 pinches
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil & salt - to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan. To this, add mustard seeds. After it splutters, add jeera. After it sizzles, add red chillies and fry for a min. Then, add chopped onions, grated ginger, green chillies and saute until onions turns translucent. Then, add tomatoes along with chilli powder, coriander powder, salt & hing and cook until the raw smell of tomatoes are gone and it doesn 't stick to the sides.

In the meanwhile, heat a pan and dry roast moong dal & toor dal until nice smell comes from it. Take a deep vessel / pan, and boil about 2 cups of water. While the water is boiling, add roasted moong dal & toor dal along with turmeric powder & little salt. Let it cook for about 10 -15 mins until moong/toor dal is almost cooked.

Transfer the tomato/onion gravy mixture to cooked dal and let it simmer for 5 more mins. Add chopped cilantro and remove from heat.

Serve hot with chapathi / rice.

Tips:

• You can also choose to pressure cook moong / toor dal together for 1 whistle if you like them to be mashed in kootu.
• If you choose to cook dal in a vessel, you need to keep a watch on it and add water (little by little) as required. Dal might get burnt if there's not enough water.