Moog Dal in slow cooker

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups moong dal with chhilka
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 heaping tsp minced garlic
  • 1 heaping tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 can diced tomato (14.5 oz)

Cook on high until done ;) It took me 7 hours, but I wouldn't go by that. It will take about 5 hours on High if it is sized right for the slow cooker (see Notes).

The results were less than satisfactory, unfortunately! The ingredients and the proportions were fine, but the recipe needs a couple of changes.

NOTES:

  1. I think 2 cups dal was too much for the slow cooker. It expands a lot when it cooks. I am going to try 1 cup next time.
  2. Unlike chicken, there is no built-in source of fat here, leading to a flat taste.
  3. Also, the onions did not cook as well as they did with the chicken - probably for the same reason. So for next time I will saute the onion in oil and then add the mixture to the slow cooker for cooking.

MIRACLE! Well, sort of. Manisha and I talked about how the dal was tasting flat and lifeless and I decided to add a teaspoonful of ghee as an experiment. And voila, it worked! We ended up enjoying the dal for dinner. So I will be trying out both variations next time: recipe above with some fat (such as butter) added, and the recipe with onions sauteed before adding to the slow cooker. Stay tuned!

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