Sobji Diye Bhaja Muger Dal / Bengali Roasted Moong Dal with vegetables

Moong dal / muger dal releases a nutty aroma when dry roasted and that is what makes the dal or khichdi more special. Dry roasted moong dal cooked with all the seasonal vegetables is a very homely preparation and can be made daily. You can skip the dry roasting step to omit the richness in your daily diet but otherwise its totally perfect for everyday meal.

I cook this dal almost every day to have our daily dose of veggies and there is hardly any day when I had become bored of this particular lentil.

Ma also made this muger dal (some times roasting and sometimes not) religiously throughout my schooldays, to feed me a fistful of rice in the morning. With all my tantrums and all the school related nuisances she made sure that I had all the vegetables, and if not solid ones then at least their goodness through the dal and some carbs with the rice. I can't say that I loved this dal back then...rather the school panic almost made all the taste to take a detour from my taste buds direct to the stomach!! 

Sobji Diye Bhaja Muger Dal

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 cups of moong dal

1 medium onion – sliced

1 medium tomato – chopped

½ inch stick of ginger – minced

3-4 garlic pods – minced

½ cup small cauliflower florets (if available)

A handful of baby carrots / a medium carrot – chopped

A handful of pumpkin - cubed

A handful of French beans – chopped

A handful of green peas

A handful of fresh coriander leaves – chopped

2-3 green chillies – chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 dry red chillies

A pinch of hing / asafoetida

1 tsp cumin seeds

Salt

2 tbsp oil

P.S : You can also add bottle gourd, radish, flat bean (sim) and pointed gourd (potol). 

Method:

Wash the moong dal until clear water runs out and drain the water. Make sure there is no excess water.

Heat a kadai / skillet on medium flame and put the washed and drained mung dal into the skillet.

Keep stirring the mung dal or otherwise it will start to stick to the kadai / skillet.

Dry Roast in this way for 2-3 minutes or until the yellow mung dal becomes a little brown and you can smell its nutty flavour.

Once done, transfer them to a pressure cooker and add 5-6 cups of water to them. Pour everything in a pressure cooker and add in the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Cook on pressure till the cooker blows  3-5 whistles. Let the steam pass out naturally and then open the cover.

Heat the oil in a kadai / pan and add in the cumin seeds, dry red chillies and hing / asafoetida.

Sauté for 10-12 seconds and then add the sliced onions to them.

Sauté on medium heat till the onions become translucent and a little redish.

Then add the minced ginger and garlic and sauté till the raw garlic flavour is gone. It will take half a minute or so.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they become mushy. It’s not necessary to cook them until they ooze out oil.

Next throw in all the vegetables and green chillies. Sprinkle some salt over them and cook covered for 5-6 minutes, or until they are half cooked. If required, add a dash of water to cook them.

When the vegetables are half cooked, pour in the cooked moong dal and let it simmer on medium flame till all the vegetables are cooked and the dal reaches your desired consistency. Do not make the dal too thick because mung dal tends to be thicker as it cools down.

Taste and adjust the seasoning and sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves over them.

Serve hot with some dry potato curry / Bengali mashed potato and steamed hot rice.