Dalcha - the Hyderabadi dal and vegetable stew

• Prep15 min
• Cook40 min
• Total time55 min
• Serves4

Dalcha is chana dal cooked with vegetables into something slightly sour and slightly hot. It almost always turns up beside biryani, but it is just as good with plain rice or chapati. Tamarind is its soul - go light on it and the dish is just dal.

Ingredients

• Chana dal - 1 cup, soaked 1 hour
• Bottle gourd or brinjal - 2 cups, cubed
• Onion - 1 large, finely chopped
• Tomatoes - 2, chopped
• Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsp
• Chavsamrat Dalcha Masala - 2 tsp
• Chavsamrat Haldi Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard and cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp each
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Coriander leaves, salt

Method

1. Pressure cook the soaked dal with turmeric and salt for 3-4 whistles. It should be soft but not fully broken down.
2. Heat the oil, crackle the mustard seeds, then add cumin and curry leaves.
3. Fry the onion until golden.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft.
5. Add the vegetable cubes and fry 5 minutes.
6. Add Chavsamrat Dalcha Masala and fry 2 minutes.
7. Tip in the cooked dal with a cup of water and bring to a boil.
8. Stir in the tamarind pulp and simmer 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
9. Finish with coriander and serve with biryani or rice.

Tips

• Dal cooked to a mush turns this into sambar - stop at 3 whistles.
• Add the tamarind at the end, or the dal will not soften properly.
• Add mutton pieces and it becomes mutton dalcha.