Panch Phoron Tarkari & Kulath ki Dal

Kulath ki Dal from Uttarakand: Horsegram is a completely new ingredient for me. I bought it just before April's Mega marathon in the hopes of using it in one of the dishes, but I didn't use it for any of the dishes. But luckily I found quite a few interesting recipes using it and here I am with the very first dish I made with Horsegram.

This dal is from Uttarakand and it is a very simple and earthy dish which is very mildly spiced. Using rice flour makes the dish thick and creamy.

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Uttarakhand -- Mandua ki Roti with Aloo-Tamatar ki Jhol

Blogging Marathon# 39 - Indian States: Day 29
State: Uttarakhand
Dish: Mandua ki Roti with Aloo-Tamatar ki Jhol

Today we are going to Uttarakhand, formerly known as Uttaranchal, that was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in November 2000. It is often referred to as the 'Land of the Gods (Dev-bhumi)' due to the many holy Hindu temples and prigrim centers throughout the state. Uttarakand is also known for its natural beauty.
The natives of the state are generally called either Garhwali or Kumaoni depending on their place of origin. A large portion of the population of Rajputs and Brahmins. Uttarakand is the only state in India that has Sanskrit as one of its official languages.
Cuisine: People in Uttarakand prefer vegetarian food with lots of vegetables and wheat & rice being the staples, but non-vegetarian food is also served. Coarse grain with high fiber content is very common in Uttarakand due to the harsh terrain. Cuisine from Kumouni region is interesting because they rarely use milk or milk related ingredients in cooking owing to the fact that the topological features of the area do not permit cows to produce fine quality milk.
Specialties: Gahath Soup (horsegram soup), Gahath ki dal, Jhangore ki kheer, Jholi, Phaanu, Chainsoo, Rus, Gulgula etc.

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