If you live in a large city, you are likely to find the white cooking radishes called mooli in an Indian or Chinese grocery store. They may be a bit difficult to find in other areas, so for a similar but milder flavor, you may substitute the smaller red salad radishes. This surprisingly delicious combination will greatly raise your estimation of the common radish. You can vary the texture of the dal by varying the amount of water. This recipe yields a thinnish purée. Try this Bengali dal with a Bengali vegetable such as Char-Flavored Vegetable Medley with Crunchy Dal Badi and Buttered Steamed Rice .
Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1¼ hours
Serves: 6 or 7
• ¾ cup (170 g) split moong dal , without skins
• 6¼–7 cups (1.5–1.75 liters) water
• ½ teaspoon (2 ml) turmeric
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) scraped, finely shredded or minced fresh ginger root
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) minced seeded hot green chili (or as desired)
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 cup (240 ml) thinly sliced scraped white cooking radishes or red salad radishes
• 1¼ teaspoons (6 ml) salt
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) minced fresh parsley or coarsely chopped coriander
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cumin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) fenugreek seeds
• ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) black mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sugar
• ¼–½ teaspoon (1–2 ml) yellow asafetida powder (hing) *
• 6–8 small curry leaves, preferably fresh
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon or lime juice
• This amount applies only to yellow Cobra brand. Reduce any other asafetida by three-fourths .
1. Sort, wash and drain the split mung beans as explained on this blog .
2. Place the mung beans, water, turmeric, ginger root, green chili and a dab of the ghee or oil in a heavy 3-quart/liter nonstick saucepan. Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a full boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderately low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and boil gently for 30 minutes. Add the radishes, cover and continue to cook for 30–45 minutes more or until the dal is soft and fully cooked. Add the salt and half of the parsley or coriander, stir, and set aside.
3. Combine the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and mustard seeds in a small bowl. Heat the ghee in a small frying pan over moderate to moderately high heat. When it is hot, stir in the seeds and sweetener. Stir-fry until the sweetener caramelizes and turns a rich reddish-brown. Drop in the asafetida powder and curry leaves, and fry for just 1–2 seconds. Immediately add a large spoonful of the cooked dal to the frying pan to stop the spices from burning. Stir, remove from the heat and pour the seasonings into the dal . Cover immediately and let the seasonings soak into the hot dal for 1–2 minutes. Add the remaining minced herb and the lemon juice, stir and serve .
