A twist to the festival favourite ‘Amaba dal’ its subtle and sour taste will keep lingering on your palate.
Amba Dal is a festival preparation served during early summers when all the ladies have a gathering popularly known as Haldi Kumkum where they celebrate their womanhood and married status. It is a chana dal and raw mango mix (because raw mango is in season during March/April), very similar to hummus. We have given our twist of serving it like hummus with naan but keeping the taste of Amba Dal intact. Its subtle and sour taste will keep lingering on your palate.
[ Serves: 2 ]
Ingredients
• 150 gms dried chana dal
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 20 gms green chilli
• 50 gms coriander leaves
• 1 raw mango
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 gms curry leaves
• 10 gms mustard seeds
• 1 tsp paprika or mild red chilli powder to garnish
Preparation
• Soak the chana dal overnight in plenty of water with salt. They should swell to almost double their size. Wash in several changes of water. Grate raw mango.
• Put the chana dal (you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your mixer or food processor) and two to three tablespoons of the cooking liquid, raw mango, green chilli, coriander leaves into the mixer and grind. If the paste is looking too coarse, add some more cooking liquid.
• Add half a teaspoon of the olive oil towards the end. You should obtain a little coarse puree, make the puree a little thinner since it will dry out slightly in the fridge.
• Serve in a shallow bowl. Scoop out a little from the centre with the back of a spoon or fork to form a small well.
• Temper the mustard seeds and curry leaves with the remaining olive oil. Pour the tempering into the scooped out part of Amba Dal and serve with crispy naan. Sprinkle paprika on the top for extra spice.
Photos: Courtesy of Nilesh Limaye, Ujjwala Creations
