Recipe: Chef Neha's Vegetable Dhansak

One of the dishes most dear to every Parsi's heart is a good well-made Mummy ka dhansak. Every home makes their own style, each as lip-smackingly good as the next.

The classic take pairs meat with lentils and maybe assorted vegetables, which is served alongside lightly-sweetened rice and crisp fried onions.

Chef Neha Deepak Shah decides to try a delightful meat-free version of this well-loved dish. Her Vegetable Dhansak celebrates the richness of pulses and seasonal produce, and gets its dhamaka from her signature spice paste.

Vegetable Dhansak

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup yellow mung dal, soaked for an hour
• ¼ cup chana dal, soaked for an hour
• ¼ cup arhar or toor dal, soaked for an hour
• ¼ cup masoor dal, soaked for an hour
• 1 large onion, diced + 1 large onion extra, diced, for frying with the paste
• 1 tomato, diced
• ½ cup diced doodhi or loki or bottle gourd
• ½ cup diced kadu or lal bhopla or pumpkin
• 1 small carrot, diced
• ½ cup diced brinjal
• ¼ cup fresh methi or fenugreek leaves
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves
• ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
• Salt, to taste, about 1½ tsp
• Water
• 1-2 tbsp oil
• Handful green dhania or coriander leaves or cilantro, chopped, for ganish
• Lemon wedges, for serving

For the spice paste:

• 5-6 pods garlic
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1-inch piece ginger
• 4-5 Kashmiri dry red chillies, soaked
• 1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
• 1 tsp brown dhania or coriander seeds
• 1 green elaichi or cardamom
• 2 laung or cloves
• 1-inch piece dalcheeni or cinnamon

Method

• In a pressure cooker, over medium heat, cook the soaked dals with all the chopped vegetables, salt, turmeric, kasuri methi, enough water, about 3-4 cups, for 5-6 whistles.
  Take off heat and keep aside to cool and the pressure to release naturally.
• Meanwhile, grind all the paste ingredients, in a mixer, into a smooth mixture.
  Keep aside
• Heat the oil in a small saucepan or kadhai, over medium heat, and add in the onions and sauté until golden.
  Add in the prepared paste and fry over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil begins to separate.
  Take off heat and mix the cooked paste into the boiled dal-vegetable mixture.
• Warm up the dhanask, garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with steamed rice and lime wedges.

Editor's Note: Avoid over-mashing the dal and the vegetables for the best texture.

Recipe: Kind courtesy Stahl Kitchens.

• REDIFF FOOD