15/05/2012

MUTTON, CHICKEN OR LAMB DHANSAAK.

This is a favorite Sunday lunch for the Parsis. It has become popular across several cultures now. It is a lentil dish cooked with meat and served with brown rice. The flavor comes from the meat cooking slowly with lentils. Though the recipe seems long, it is not that difficult to make. The daal or lentils should not be too watery but have a slightly thicker consistency. This dish is a complete meal by itself as it has lentils, meat and vegetables and is served with rice.
Serves 6







Continue for Recipe...



Ingredients
1/2 cup Toor Daal {Arhar Daal}
1/4 cup Channa Daal {Split Gram Lentil}
4 medium onions finely chopped
3 TBS chopped mint leaves
1 small Aubergine {Brinjal} cut into 4 pieces
1 medium potato cut in 4 pieces
2 pounds meat , either lamb, mutton or chicken, cut in 2 to 3 inch pieces with bone in
2 TSP Haldi{Turmeric powder}
1 cube chicken or meat bullion (Cube or powder 
1 TSP Garam masala{Available at Indian grocery stores}
1 TSP red chili powder
2 TBS ginger garlic paste
1 TBS ground coriander powder{Dhanna}
1TBS ground cumin powder{Jeera}
2 TBS red chili paste.{Grind 2 to 3 dry red chili with 2 pods of garlic and 1/2 TSP cumin seeds  with a little water}
3 TBS oil
Salt to taste

FOR RICE
2 cups long grained white rice
1 TSP cumin seeds
2 to 3 cloves
4 full pepper corn
1 stick cinimon 1 inch long
1 TSP soya sauce
1TSP Butter
1/2 TSP salt, or to taste.

ONION SALAD
This simple salad tastes very good with Dhansaak.
1 big onion sliced in thin rounds
4 TBS chopped coriander
1 TBS black vinegar. (Balsamic vinegar)
Toss the balsamic with onions and coriander. Add salt and 1 finely sliced green chili , if needed.

Method
-Soak the lentils in hot water for an hour.
- Marinate the meat with 1 TBS ginger garlic paste and 1 TBS red chili paste. Set aside for 1/2 hour to 1 Hour covered in cool fridge.
-Rinse the lentils and place in pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed deep pot.
-Add half the chopped onions, meat, mint leaves, potato, aubergine, turmeric powder and chicken cube or powder. Add enough water to submerge the meat and lentils.
- Cook in pressure cooker for 3 whistles on high, and then simmer in cooker for 40 minutes if using lamb or mutton . 20 minutes for chicken.
-Let the cooker cool and open. Remove the potato pieces and meat pieces.Set aside.
-Blend the lentils with the mint leaves etc into a smooth paste.
-If using a pot, add enough water to submerge. Stir occasionally and add water as needed. Cook on low heat till meat is well cooked. About 2 hours.
In a separate deep pot, add the oil. When hot, add the rest of the chopped onions and fry till golden brown. -Add the red chili powder, garam masala, red chili paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on low flame.
-Add the lentils and meat and potato and simmer for 10 minutes till all the flavors blend in. Stir occasionally.
-Taste and add salt as needed.

RICE
-Add rice in rice cooker with as much water as needed (1 cup of rice needs 2 cups water) Add 1 TSP Butter and all the rest of the ingredients and stir. Start the rice cooker. When done, mix rice using a fork, and serve with the Dhaal saak (Lentils and meat) and onion salad.


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