Delightful Dals ~ Menthula Pappu / Fenugreek Seeds Dal

When I peeked recently at the 'dals' category in my blog, I could not stop feeling that there should have been many more there, after 3 years of blogging and I being an Indian, who eats dal (beans) in one form or another on a daily basis.
I am therefore planning to showcase 'traditional' dals regularly here, from now onwards. I promise to post atleast one or two dal recipes every month.
'Dal of this month' is going to be a healthier and a rather uncommon one from Andhra, menthula pappu. As the name suggests, menthulu / fenugreek seeds is the star in this traditional recipe. It should not be confused with fenugreek greens/methi leaves dal. Unlike most of the dals, this does not require any vegetables and gives the fenugreek seeds an opportunity to shine.
The flavor and taste of the finished dal just enchants you and refreshes your taste buds. And no, the dal is not bitter because of the fenugreek seeds used.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup toordal
• 2 Tbsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 4 Tbsp tamarind juice (Soak a lemon sized tamarind ball in water for an hour or place in a microwave with little water for about 3 minutes. Then squeeze the juice adding a little if needed.)
• For tadka: 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp each of mustard seeds & cumin seeds, few curry leaves (about 10) and a red chili broken into bits, a pinch of asafoetida

Cooking:
Wash the toordal and fenugreek seeds with two exchanges of water and throw away the cloudy water. Then place the dal, fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder in a container and add about a cup of water to it. Pressure-cook it till the dal is done. Alternatively, cook the dal on stovetop adding water as needed till the dal turns mushy.
Remove the dal from cooker and mash it slightly with the back of a ladle. Then add salt, chili powder & tamarind juice to it and mix well. Turn on the stove and let it cook for a couple of minutes more.
For tadka, heat oil in a small sauté pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and red chili. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add asafoetida powder to it and turn off the stove. Add this tadka to the cooked dal and mix well.
Serve with some hot steamed rice and a tsp of ghee.