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Ambe dal
Chana dal with raw mango
आंबे डाळ: coarse soaked chana dal with raw mango, chilli and a mustard tempering
Through the month of Chaitra, which opens with Gudi Padwa, Maharashtrian women invite each other home for haldi-kunku, and the plate they send guests away with nearly always holds ambe dal with a glass of kairi panha. It is not a cooked dal at all but a cool, crunchy salad: chana dal soaked for hours, pulsed coarse with green chilli, then tossed with grated raw mango, coconut and a hot mustard tadka. It tastes sour, fresh and gently hot, and it is filling enough for an afternoon visit. The common mistake is grinding it with water into a paste; the dal must stay in tiny separate grains, like coarse couscous, and feel just tender when you bite one. The long time on this recipe is almost all soaking. Chef's tip: grate the mango only just before mixing and add the salt at the end, or the dal turns watery as it stands.
- Total time
- 250 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dal
- 3 ¼ cups cold waterfor soaking
- 2 green chilliesroughly chopped
- 2 ⅞ oz raw green mangopeeled and grated
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh coconutgrated
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
For the tadka
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- ½ tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse 5 ½ oz chana dal (split Bengal gram) two or three times, then cover with 3 ¼ cups cold water and leave for at least 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge. A soaked grain should break easily between your nails.
240 minStep 2: Drain the dal in a sieve for 10 minutes and shake it well; any water left will turn it pasty.
Step 3: Put the dal and 2 green chillies in a grinder jar and pulse in short bursts, scraping down, without adding water, until it looks like coarse crumbs with no whole grains left. Do not run it to a paste.
3 minStep 4: Tip into a bowl and mix in 2 ⅞ oz raw green mango, 1 ⅜ oz fresh coconut and 1 tsp sugar.
Step 5: Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add ½ tsp black mustard seeds and, when they crackle, take the pan off the heat and add 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida (hing), ¼ tsp ground turmeric and 8 curry leaves. Swirl for a few seconds.
2 minStep 6: Pour the tadka over the dal, add ¾ tsp salt and 2 tbsp fresh coriander and mix lightly with a fork. Serve within a few hours, at room temperature or lightly chilled.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ambe dal take?
- About 250 minutes in total: 245 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of raw green mango?
- Tinned mango pulp, same weight.
- What can I use instead of fresh coconut?
- Desiccated coconut soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, about three quarters of the weight.
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