DILL DAL

DILL DAL
Pasta and cheese, wholemeal bread toast, butter, cheese slices, mashed potatoes, boiled peas, broccoli, custard and fruits, ice cold milk, ice cream, chilled fruit yogurt ……
These are few of the many dishes in the menu card provided by the maternity hospital in Sydney for ‘new born’ moms to select their meal! While the spread was nutritious and very delicious as well, I can very well imagine my mother’s horrified face shaking violently in disapproval.
Mother was well versed in preparing the special diet or pathiyam for pullaipetha or the new mothers. The diet to be followed by mothers for 21 days after childbirth, was prepared with great care using select ingredients. Chillies, tamarind, any roots and tubers with the exception of ginger were taboo. No oil was used in cooking. A dollop or more of pure home made ghee was a must in each meal. No citrus fruits or curd was allowed. Though there were too many dos and don’ts in the preparation, the pathiya sapaadu is a very delicious diet which every one can relish.
Dill (Sabsige Soppu in Kannada / not sure what its called in Tamil!!) has a special place in the special diet as it is supposed to help the lactating mothers and is a rich source of calcium. Here is a ‘method of preparing a pathiya dal with dill. Tomatos are typically not used in pathiya diet, so the one below is a ‘no-so-strict’ version!


INGREDIENTS:
Dill – 2 bunches

Split green gram dal (Mung) – 1 cup
Tomatoes – 1
Garlic – 3 fat cloves
Peeled Ginger – 1 inch
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Black pepper – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Olive oil or ghee – 1 tsp

METHOD:

1. Wash and cop dill discarding the thick fibrous stalks.
2. Grate garlic and ginger.
3. Chop tomatoes.
4. Heat olive oil or ghee in a pressure cooker and throw in the ginger and garlic.
5. Add chopped dill. and stir.
6. Add washed dal and turmeric.
7. Pour in three cups of water.
8. Stir in the chopped tomatoes
9. Pressure cook until three whistles.
10. When the steam has subsided open the lid and add salt and coarsely ground black pepper .and stir vigorously
11. Fry cumin seeds and curry leaves in a little ghee and add it to the dal.
Relish the aromatic Dill Dal with very hot and soft rice, topped with a dollop of home made ghee.

Comments

YOSEE said…
Yum-Yum ! Why only for newbie Pullai-pettha, even for past-pullai-petthas, its a lipsmacking deli - dish !
Ash said…
WOW! Sabsige soppina dal...Never tried till date...never thought of rather.... GOTCHA try now.....& will...& will tell my mom too...

Ash....
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)
L'Étranger said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sunshinemom said…
I remember this one too and I also recall getting bored of it:). Dill is great to increase lactation. My mum used to put them in everything but my fave was the verum arisi adai with dill.
Lakshmi said…
Anything with dill must taste great. I would love to see more pathiya sapadu here :) please keep posting as it will help me later :D
I have started liking dil dhal. appa
Unknown said…
Dal looks comforting!
First time here...
Dill Dal looks yummy..

ArunaManikandan
http://ensamayalkuripugal.blogspot.com
Unknown said…
Hi! I made the dal as per your recipe and it turned out very well :) Easy to make and comforting. The entire family enjoyed it very much!

Thanks for sharing!

Preeti
Unknown said…
Good day! I made this today and it was so easy and good and healthy!!! I love this recipe!