Monday, March 02, 2020

Dal Chawal Palidu -- from Bohri Kitchen



Belonging to a minority community in my adopted country and "God-alone-knows-what" community in my mother land, I stay away from discussing politics in this space. Also, I am not good at being a keyboard warrior.
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However even as I type and share news about what I cooked and served for dinner in the backdrop of chaos, a part of me cringes at the selfishness of it all. But then that's life. That is what you do.
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Bias as has always been a part of our countries. You peel away religion, there is region, then caste, then gender, then color -- there is always a minority community, whose voices are not loud enough to be heard. And it's always relative. If there is more of you, I am a minority.
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Many a times, we are not even aware of the communities outside our own and often stick to the stereotypes. Like say, all Indians are vegetarians or all Indian parents get extremely upset if their kids get anything less than a A+ grade or Girls like pink or  South-east Asian Muslims serve Biryani on all important occasions.
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To know a community, you have to break bread with them . It's best if you can share a meal but if not just expand your horizons and cook a meal. That way you learn a little and you find that your heart has space to share for more.
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So that's what I thought I will try to do. I usually stick to my known cuisine of Bengali, global Indian, Italian, American etc.  This time, I went out of my comfort zone to find a Bohri Muslim recipe. I know no one from that community and I know very little about their eating habits. However Bohri Thal has recently become very popular in Mumbai and so there were plenty of articles on the internet. The more I read, the more I was intrigued.

"The Bohra community originated from a Muslim sect in Yemen and Egypt, later spreading to India and Pakistan. Hence, the food influences have been heavily adapted from the Middle East. The initial settlement of the Bohra’s in Surat, Gujarat have led to major Gujarati influence on the cuisine as well.This is why you will find that Bohri cuisine is much lighter and lower in spice than Mughlai or Pakistani food." -- Mumbai Foodie


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I found a very, interesting and simple vegetarian dish that all those articles mentioned as the Bohri comfort food. So, I went out on a limb and made "Dal-Chawal-Palidu" for lunch today.

I followed the recipe from two sites -- Goya Journal and Farida's post in One Life To Eat

Did you know Dal-Chawal-Palidu and not Biriyani, is a dish for all celebratory occasions in the Bohri Muslim Community?

In the Bohri style of community dining, the family gathers around the thaal, eating the meal in courses that alternate between sweet and savoury.  One of the staples of the Bohri thaal is Dal Chawal Palidu – a dish with rice, lentils and moringa that is so beloved in the Bohri repertoire that no meal, no celebration, is complete without it. Gently boiled and spiced, the lentils are layered between freshly steamed rice, and cooked on dum, served with a side of tempered moringa - Goya Journal
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It was so very different from the Dal-Chawal I have grown up with that I had to actually compare 4 recipes to make sure this was indeed a Dal-Chawal. The Palida on the other was more in our line of food habit and the taste was very akin to sambhar. We really loved the Palida.
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Did we like Dal-Chawal-Palidu? Yes.
Will it be my comfort food? No.
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But I did learn something and if I befriend someone from the Bohri community, I will look forward to taste their authentic version of "Dal-Chawal-Palida".




Let's first make the Dal-Chawal -- Lentil and Rice




Toor Dal -- 1/2 Cup

Onion -- 1/2 thinly sliced
Garlic - 4 cloves chopped
Green Chili -- 2 Chopped
Curry leaves -- 8-10

Whole Cumin seeds -- 1tsp
Cloves -- 2
Cinnamon -- 1"
Peppercorns - 4-5

Cumin-Coriander powder -- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder -- 1/2 tsp
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt -- to taste

Vegetable Oil -- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp
Ghee -- 1 Tbsp




Wash and cook the Toor dal with at least 4 Cups of water and
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Oil
pinch of salt
in a pan for 15-20 minutes or until it is almost cooked.
The lentils should remain whole and not turn mushy, so do not use the pressure cooker.
Strain the water from the dal and keep it aside.

In a frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp oil.
Add the whole spices -- cumin, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns.

Once they splutter add
onion,
garlic,
curry leaves
and green chilli.
Saute until fragrant and onion starts to brown.

Add the Chilli powder and Cumin-Coriander powder and fry with a little sprinkle of water.

As the onion begin to brown, remove from heat and stir into the dal. Set aside.

Cook the rice until it is almost done, like you do for Biriyani rice. Drain the rice.

In an oven safe dish, laye the rice and the the cooked dal with drizzle of ghee.

Sprinkle little water, cover the dish with foil and bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Cook until the rice is completely cooked.

Let's now make the Palidu



Leftover lentil/dal water

Methi (fenugreek seeds) -- 1 tsp

Onion -- 1/2 thinly sliced
Garlic - 4 cloves chopped
Green Chili -- 2 Chopped
Curry leaves -- 8-10
Tomato -- 1 medium chopped

Besan or (gram flour or chickpea flour) -- 2 tbsp
Cumin-Coriander powder -- 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder -- 1/2 tsp
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp
Amchoor powder -- 1/2 tsp
Salt -- to taste

Coriander (cilantro) for garnishing (optional)
Drumsticks – 6-7 pieces. I used frozen

Oil -- 3 Tbsp

Heat oil in a pan. Add the methi or fenugreek seeds,

Once they splutter add
onion,
garlic,
curry leaves
and green chilli.
Saute until fragrant and onion starts to brown.

Add the tomato and fry until mushed.

Next add turmeric, red chili powder and the coriander-cumin powder.

Add besan (gram flour) to the mixture and sauté for two minutes on a medium flame, stirring continuously. Sprinkle water, if necessary, to prevent the mixture from burning.

Add the drumstick pieces and saute for another minute.



Add the leftover dal/lentil water to the mixture, scrape the sides and let the gravy come to a simmer.

Add salt and amchur powder.

Cook the palidu till it boils and the drumsticks are cooked to soft. Add more water as necessary.

Garnish the palidu with coriander



Serve the Dal-Chawal with Palidu, papad and Pickles



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3 comments:

  1. খুব ভালো লাগল পোস্টটা, বং মম। রান্নাটা দেখতে চমৎকার হয়েছে। আমি কালই ভাবছিলাম সজনেডাঁটা খেলে কেমন হয়। দেখব এই রেসিপিটা ট্রাই করে।

    ReplyDelete
  2. Loved the way u tied up everything and presented ot in a neat bundle

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for setting the example with and through your cooking. Of course cooking and culture are connected, always always.

    ReplyDelete

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