It may be a common belief that Indian food is always complicated and time-consuming, and that it requires a whole lot of ingredients to get cooked. But it is not true. The fact is, while the cuisine is as diverse and varied as the country itself, everyday Indian cooking isn’t about elaborate with long ingredient lists. At every home kitchen, you will find simple straightforward dishes that use small ingredients in myriad ways. For instance, take dal and grains.
A simple daily Indian meal include a sabzi- stir-fried Indian style vegetable, plain cooked rice or chapattis, and occasionally a vegetarian or non-vegetarian not-too-rich curry. But along with this, you will usually find a simple, and very healthy, dal. It is like a comfort food to every Indian. It becomes crucial that the pulses and dals that are used for cooking should be of the best quality which guarantees optimum nutrition and health benefits. Just find an Indian Grocery Store UK Online and order finest quality dal and pulses.
Dal- Simple Yet Satisfying
Basically, dal is a term to be used for pulses, like, lentils, peas and beans. These pulses are usually slow-cooked with minimum spices and the taste is blissful- a staple food of every Indian household.The type of pulse used, the consistency of the dish and the seasonings will vary from region to region.For instance, people from north India prepares dal differently than the South Indians. And when you learn the art of making dal, you will add your own preferences.
Staple Food- Dal
Besides being a side dish, dal also functions like gravy. It brings everything on the plate together, when you are eating with your hands. And when served with rice or a wheat bread, dal provides complete protein that satisfies for very little expense. A bowl of dal and rice, seasoned with onion and a spoonful of ghee, is all wanted by an Indian when it comes for a comfort food. It is warming and soothing and with just a few preparations, you can taste that comfort as well.
Tempering Brings in the Flavour
Tempering or tadka is an important term in the Indian kitchen. The tadka is the seasoning that is added to the dal. It is usually given with melted ghee or oil, into which whole spices such as cumin, mustard seed, asafoetida, or fenugreek are fried. Onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, chillies may also be included. On special occasions the tadka may be different or rather complex, but the basic everyday use the tadka is kept simple to just ghee, onion, and whole cumin seeds. A little chopped cilantro just makes it complete.
Dal is a long topic to be explained within a few words. But knowing the right quality of dal is important for the best outcome. It is our staple, feel-good food that you can make in your own way, but whatever way you choose, you’ll be satisfied.
