The Origin Of Moradabadi Dal
As the recipe name suggests, this dal originates in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. Moradabad is well known for its brass handicraft industry. Apart from the royal cuisine of Nawabs and Nizams, Moradabad is famous for its Dal Moradabadi. In the evening, you can see loads of street carts selling the dal across the city. And on each cart, a bunch of dal-loving food lovers snacking on it. It is a lost recipe that you will never spot on a restaurant menu. If you can visit the region, you can taste Dal Muradabadi in local households or serve it on the wedding buffet.
Ingredients Required
Moong Dal: You need yellow moong dal for this chaat recipe. No other variety of moong dal will give you the desired result. The same moong dal you can use to make cheela, salad, or halwa. Ginger: The earthy, spicy flavour of ginger takes Moradabadi dal up a notch. Ginger is the soul of this moong dal recipe. Butter: The butter makes moong dal rich, creamy texture and tastes delicious. In an authentic Dal Moradabadi, you will always find butter swimming on top. Dry Red Chilli: The spiciness and smokiness of dry red chillies combined with butter make a finger-licking good tempering for moong dal chaat. Herbs & Spices: The other key ingredients are – asafoetida (hing), roasted cumin powder, salt, lemon, green chilli, and fresh coriander.
Additional Toppings
You can add a variety of toppings to your moong dal chaat to make it more delicious. Here are a few popular add-ons: green mint chutney toasted bread croutons chopped onion and tomato diced paneer (cottage cheese) crisp, fried munchies or Indian namkeen
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Serving Suggestion
There is always a debate about how and when to serve Dal Moradabadi. Usually, in the origin city, the dal is served as a hearty, healthy, wholesome Indian breakfast for brass industry workers with toasted bread slices. The moong dal chaat is an evening snack, like soup, especially during winter. Our family enjoys moong dal chaat with toasted bread slices at any hour of the day. But mainly it is an evening snack or a supper for us.
My Tried & True Tips
Boil the moong dal till it is mashed nicely. We need an over-cooked dal with each grain of mashed lentil to get a smooth, soup-like consistency. If, after boiling, the dal seems too thick, add more water and stir to get a thick soup-like consistency. Avoid using too many spices for seasoning the moong dal. This dal recipe requires a few herbs and spices. It is more about minimal ingredients and maximum flavour. Do not skip ginger, asafoetida, roasted cumin powder, and butter for an authentic-tasting Moradabadi Dal. Ensure the dal is piping hot while adding the tempering and other toppings, as it is not heated/simmered after glazing with tadka. Moong Dal Chaat is best consumed fresh and hot. It does not taste great the next day or after reheating. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter or follow us on Youtube for video recipes.
