There are days when you wish to have simple yet tasty and healthy food, so I thought of cooking a traditional maharashtrian dish varan bhaat for dinner last night. My husband loved it, and so I’m planning to make it ofen from now.

INGREDIENTS

Toor dal / pigeon peas – ½ cup
Water – 1 ½ cups
Salt – to taste
Jaggery – 1 tsp

TEMPERING

Asafetida or hing – a pinch
Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
Ghee or oil – 2 teaspoon (If you are a vegan you can use oil)
Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
red chili powder – ½ teaspoon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour sufficient water in the pressure cooker.
2. Load one separator with rice and another with Toor dal / pigeon peas with salt as per taste and one teaspoon of jaggery outside the pressure cooker.
3. Adding jaggery gives altogether different taste to the dal, so its better not to replace it with sugar.
4. Stack the separators on the stand. Close wire handles around stacked separators and fasten clamp.
5. Place the separator set in the pressure cooker.
6. Close the pressure cooker and cook for 10 to 15mins.
7. on another stove heat the ghee or oil in a small tempering pan , add cumin seeds and let them sizzle , add Asafetida and turn off the stove.
8. Add red chili powder and turmeric powder.
9. Immediately pour the tempering in to the cooked Toor dal, if you dont pur it immediately then the red chilly powder will turn black.
10. Mix it well.

Serve it hot with plain rice