Kachi Paki Dal Split Pigeon Pea Lentils With Bread

Kachi Paki Dal Split Pigeon Pea Lentils with Bread provides a highly colorful and healthy eating of  lentils the Sudanese way. Pigeon Lentils or Toovar Dal, is one of the oldest grains cultivated in the history of mankind, and was abundantly available in India and Africa, two of the oldest civilization zones in the world. In Gujarati cuisine, toovar dal is a staple item eaten mainly with rice and cooked frequently, so also in  southern indian cuisine in form of Sambhar, and  in rest of India mainly consumed along with rice. In fact, in Gujarat, Toovar Dal is also used in a dessert item of Pooranpoli, a sweet bread, made on special occasion. In my view, the Toovar Dal, suddenly leaped a few steps of importance, knowing that I am consuming one of the oldest grains  about 3400 years old, first found in Orissa in India, and also for the fact that this lentil is extremely  heavy on protein,  folate, manganese and phosphorous components. This toovar dal travelled from India to East and West Africa. So one gets the connection of how culture and cuisines are shaped and it is a moment of pride to introduce an East African cuisine for the broader Indian and other global readers.

This dish has inherent sweetness when made from  “24  Mantra” brand organic lentils available at Indian grocery stores. Just boiled lentils is sweet enough to be consumed with no or minimum spices.  A recipe that comprises of salad, soup, and bread and has Indian spice flavour gives, eating soup bread and salad, a whole new look!

Kachi Paki Dal Split Pigeon Pea lentils with Bread has a rhyming name in Indian language meaning half uncooked (Kachi) and half cooked (Paki), as the normal Toovar Dal that is consumed with rice, goes for further extended cooking after being pressure cooked. Filling, satisfying, creative, spicy, lemony, crunchy and extremely quick are some of the words that comes to me when describing this rhyming dish from Sudan and I would not have been exposed to this delicacy had it not been for my dear sister-in-law!

 

Recipe Serves 3 people

Prep Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 15 min

Ingredients[shopeat_button]

• 1 3/4 cup toovar dal split pigeon pea lentils
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
• 3/4 cup chopped tomato
• 2/3 cup chopped cucumber
• 2/3  cup chopped capsicum
• 2 tbsp coriander
• 2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp dhania powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/8 tsp asafoetida
• salt to taste
• lemon for garnish
• 1 dozen dinner rolls
• butter for grilling dinner rolls
• fine sev for garnish (optional)

Method

• Wash the lentils thrice and soak in 31/2 cups of water for an hour.
• Pressure cook the lentils to 3-4 quick whistles.
• Cool the lentils thoroughly.
• The lentils should be whole and not mushed up. If plenty of excess of water, drain the extra water.

• When ready to eat, warm the lentils.
• Add oil, turmeric, asafoetida, salt, turmeric, chilli and dhania powder and stir well.

• Cook for 4-5 min and remove from flame.
• Grill the dinner rolls with some butter.
• Top the split pigeon pea lentils with some cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, few drops of lemon juice, coriander and fine sev.

• Serve Kachi Paki Dal with grilled dinner rolls.

 

Tips

If preparing well in advance then excess water will be consumed by the lentils. The final  consistency should be like lachka dal or thick soup.

Instinct Factor

Overcooking will spoil the look and feel of this dish, so under cooking lentils will be advantageous if in doubt.

Adjust the spice level to your taste as it can be controlled with toppings of chillies and chilli powder, and also variate with the toppings of your choice.

Feel Factor 

A truly wholesome meal that is colorful, quick, healthy and provides the rainbow look and need of vitamins for a vibrant skin.  It is a perfect weekend/brunch and  tv meal menu that is well appreciated by all age groups. Kachi Paki Dal Split Pigeon Pea Lentils with bread, is a Sudanese dish that is based on its more famous cousin Sudanese Phool, described in another recipe on this blog as Spicy Rajma Soup at http://wp.me/p46j8l-fP. Both the recipes have global appeal because of the use of salads, bread, lentils and colorful preparation and visual appeal.