I saw the recipe for this dalcha in Eenadu which is a telugu newspaper. Recipe was actually for a pumpkin dalcha, but I used regular kaddu (sorakaya/ bottle gourd) instead. Also I have to admit that I didn’t know dalcha is a Hyderabadi dish (I AM from Hyderabad.. just so you know) and I thought it could be either a Bengali or Rajasthani dish until I googled and found out.
Dalcha has cooked & liquidized chana dal base which is seasoned with spices and the main ingredient could either be a veggie or meat.
Ingredients:
Kaddu (Sorakaya/ Bottle gourd) – 1 medium, diced (about 3-4 cups)
Chana dal – 2/3 cup
Onion – 1 medium, chopped
Tomato – 2 medium, chopped
Tamarind paste – 2tsp
Ginger + garlic paste – 1tsp
Mustard & Cumin seeds – 1tsp
Red chili powder – 1tsp
Turmeric – a pinch
Ground cinnamon – ½ tsp
Ground Cardamom (Elaichi powder) – ½ tsp
Jaggery (Bellam) or Brown Sugar – 2tsp
Green chilies – 4, slit vertically
Method:
- Pressure cook dal until soft (the more the whistles, the better). Blend it with tamarind paste and 1 cup of water. Keep aside.
- Heat 2tbsp oil in a large pan; add mustard seeds & cumin seeds and once they start to splutter add onions and sauté till translucent.
- Add g+g paste and sauté for another minute. Next add chopped bottle gourd; cover and cook till the veggie is tender, about 12-15minutes.
- Then add tomatoes, red chili powder, turmeric, cover and cook till tomatoes turn mushy.
- Add the chana dal, ground cinnamon, cardamom (elaichi), jiggery, green chilies, salt and 1 cup water. Simmer the mixture for 5-10 minutes so all the flavors mingle together.
Serve with rice or roti. It tasted much better the next day.
Looks yumm :)
ReplyDeleteLooks very delicious.
ReplyDeletethis looks delicious ;-)
ReplyDeleteI personally relish the combination of Bottle Gourd with Chanaa Dal, serves as a tasty an nutritious side dish.
ReplyDeleteFor a sumptous meal, we usually prepare Kaddu ka Dalcha along with Phalli gosht and Baghara Khana. Do try it. You will definitely enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThe dalcha looks to die for Pavani! Such an appetizing photo ... I swear I can smell its wonderful flavors at home!
ReplyDeleteHi Pavani!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog. I found it during VeganMoFo and have been following ever since. Thanks for all the great ideas! I am vegan and appreciate that many of your recipes are and the ones that aren't are easy to veganise.
I am wondering if you have ever tried the vegan Indian meals-ready-to-eat (MREs) like those made by SWAD and Jyoti and so on. I recently tried some for the first time and while the texture is way off (packaged bhindi does not hold its shape in any way!!) the flavors are quite good, ingredients simple, and no preservatives. I wrote about it here if you want to check it out and give me your thoughts. What do you do when you're in a hurry? I noticed elsewhere that you use packaged nan sometimes. What is a good brand? Many thanks!
Here is that entry: http://cracktheplates.com/?p=315
peace,
adrienne