Tauk Dal – Soft Yellow Lentils with Green Mangoes

While we do not often realize or focus on it, even without thinking, food is inspired by our moods, moments and recent experiences. This visit to India, I unexpected landed smack in the middle of green mango season which is early summer in Kolkatta, India. I had forgotten the exquisite tender tart taste of this young green mangoes. They are usually blown off the trees during the summer storms also called the norwesters or Kal Baishakhi. This is a pretty stunning picture taken and belonging to Nafis Jalil, showing the stormy sky during the storm.

These short bursts of thunder, lightening are followed by some imense and intense rain, cooling the earth and filling the air with the fresh and fragrant smell of the wet earth. What we ate almost everyday were the sweet and tangy green mango chutneys and I promise to blog and provide a recipe for this treat soon. As soon as I got back, I ventured to our Indian store and picked up a couple of mangoes, they lacked the subtle and delicate structure of the ones in Kolkata and it took me a week to actually cut and peel one since I was rather worried that I would be very disappointed. I have learnt that much as there is a need and tendency to recreate the immediate and carry travel memories, the work week and realty is different as is the taste, smell and appearance of produce transported far away. The ambience is difference, the billboard that I liked and have shared would not look the same in NYC.

 After cutting the large, faint yellow counterpart I decided to make yellow tangy lentils with this. The yellow lentils too, are a homey traditional recipe that I have grown up with. Anshul of course, promptly fell in love with it. Thank god for small mercies, because they have not been feeling well (weak tummies), since we have returned. The doctor of course, upon hearing that we were in India has promptly pronounced that the stomachs have been infected with a tropical parasite.

This soft and flavorful lentil dish with steamed rice did the trick for today. I had made a couple of other things and some killer shrimp, hopefully I shall post these recipes over the week. I have a work conference later this week, I am truly looking forward the drive upstate, hoping to see some of the lovely flowers we have had in bloom. Now onto the recipe,

Tauk Dal – Soft Yellow Lentils with Green Mangoes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes in a pressure cooker

Serves 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup of yellow pigeon peas (toor dal)

1 green mango, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups of water

1.5 teaspoons ginger paste

1 tablespoon ghee

1 teaspoon nigela seeds (kalo jire)

2-3 green chilies slit

Method of Preparation

1. Place the lentils, mangoes, turmeric, salt, water and ginger paste in a pressure cooker. Cook under pressure for about 10 minutes, alternately increase the water content by about 2 additional cups and simmer for about 40 minutes, until thick, soft and creamy. These lentils unlike the usual Bengali style lentils are thick not thin and soupy.

2. Cool slightly, remove the cover, whip the lentils until smooth with a wooden spoon.

3. Heat the ghee on medium heat until melted and hot, add in the nigella seeds and wait till they begin to sizzle and add the green chilies, pour into the lentils and heat for 1-2 minutes before serving hot with steamed white rice.