This is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe redacted from the volume THE INDIAN COOKERY BOOK: A Practical Handbook to The Kitchen in India (author unknown), published by: WYMAN & CO., HARE STREET CALCUTTA circa 1869.

Original Recipe



90.—Moong Dal

Half an anna's worth of any dal will suffice for a party of four. The condiments are as follow:--Three-quarters of a chittack of ghee, four tspfuls of ground onions, one tspful of ground chilies, half a tspful of ground turmeric, half a tspful of ground ginger, a quarter of a tspful of ground garlic, one tspful and a half of salt, and half a dozen onions cut into six or eight slices each.

Take half a pound of the raw dal, or say half a cupful; clean, pick, and roast it; mix it up with all the ground condiments and salt, put into a pot, pour water over the whole, some two inches above the dal, and boil it well, until the dal has quite dissolved. Be careful not to disturb it while in the process of boiling, but allow it to cake as it were en masse. When thoroughly boiled, churn the dal by twirling it in a wooden instrument called a ghootnee; then warm the ghee in a separate pot, fry the onions, chop them, and throw into the churned dal, after which pour the dal into the pot of melted ghee, and keep stirring until the dal and ghee have well mixed; then put the cover on, and allow to simmer over a slow fire for about a quarter of an hour.

N.B.—The standard price of the best roasted moong dal is two annas and a half per seer.

Modern Redaction



Ingredients


225g mung dhal (mung beans)
45g ghee
4 tsp onions, ground or pounded to a paste
1 tsp ground chillies
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground garlic
1 tsp salt
6 onions, cut into 8 slices each
2 onions, finely sliced

Method:

Wash and pick over the beans then set aside to drain. Once dry, heat a dry frying pan and when hot, add the beans and toast for a few minutes. Turn into a pan and mix will all the remaining ingredients (except the ghee). Pour in enough water to come 5cm above the level of the beans.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, cover the pot and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the beans have completely broken down. Stir the bean mixture with a wooden spoon, remove the lid and continue cooking until well thickened.

Melt the ghee in a separate pan, add the onions and fry for about 6 minutes, or until nicely browned. Pour in the cooked beans and stir until well combined. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes more then serve.

Find more Victorian Recipes Here and more Curry Recipes Here. For the original version of The Indian Cookery book see my The Indian Cookery Book main page.