Process of Cooking Dals
Dals or Lentils are either cooked directly in a pan or pressure-cooked.
Cooking Dal in a pressure cooker is very effective and less time consuming. although for best results, almost all lentils can be cooked directly in a pan
To cook Dal directly in a pan: Best suited to cook Moong dal, Red lentils and Channa dal
Add 2 cups of boiling water to a cup of dal
Add a pinch of turmeric and cook it on a medium flame for about 6-7 minutes or until the dal is soft
More water may be added if necessary
Vegetables or seasoning is added to this based on the recipe!!
Toor Dal is extensively used in the South of India almost in everyday cooking and the best results are achieved by using a pressure cooker.
To Cook Dal in a Pressure Cooker: Best suited to cook Toor Dal
Add equal amounts of water and Dal in a dish with a pinch of turmeric.
Place it in the pressure cooker covered with a lid on a high flame and place the weight.
The weight is placed so that the steam does not escape through.
After 5 minutes, the pressure cooker gives out a huge hissing sound.
Turn the heat off after a couple or more hissing sounds.
Open the cooker after 5 minutes (when the hissing sound reduces) and the cooked dal is ready to be used.
The advantage of the pressure cooker is that the rice and dal can be placed in 2 separate dishes one on top of the other covered with lids and cooked for the same amount of time for effective results.
Note: This method of cooking moong dal, red lentils and channa dals directly in a pan is best suited for the preparation of Kootu
as the dals these lentils turn mushy when cooked in a pressure cooker –