Chevti Daal
Chevti Daal – Garlicky assorted daal made with lots of garlic, ginger, chili and very very basic spices which is naturally buttery.
There are so many different ways of making daal. Different parts of India have their own uniq way of making it. This winter special version is very well known in Surat, city of Gujarat state. Surtis make this chevti daal on regular basis. It is one of the easiest and delicious version I have know for years!
With all the honesty, my family has never made this while I was growing up. I would always eat this at my friend’s house. I loved it so much that they purposely would make extra just for me! My true love for this daal made me learn how to make this goodie!! It is extremely easy to make with just few basic ingredients. It is low on calories and very nutritious!
This daal is heavily garlic based, the dry and fresh both version. However, not being able to find fresh garlic here in the States that easily, I tend to use the dry one most of the times. As I mentioned, this is one of the simplest daal I make. It is literally matter of boiling assorted daal with few ingredients. Then flavor it more with spicy garlicky tadka/tempering. Add some lemon juice and garnish it with fresh cilantro and fresh garlic. That is it!!
Serve it with buttery phulka rotis and/or just plain steamed rice with dollop of ghee, papad and side of kachumber (crunchy salad). I find this one of the most comforting food of all time!! If you like daal like me, check out this Gujarati Dal and my mom’s daal fry! Tag me on Instagram @myvegetarianroots if you end up making it and liking it!
Happy & Healthy Eating!
Chevti Daal
Ingredients
Boiled Daal
- ¼ cup Urad Daal
- ¼ cup Toor Daal
- ¼ cup Chana Daal
- ¼ cup Mung Daal
- ¼ cup Masoor Daal
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 cloves Large Garlic, sliced
Tempering
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 tbsp Ghee sub with oil if making it vegan
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Thai Green Chili and Ginger Paste approximately 3 thai green chili + 1 inch ginger root
- ⅛ pinch Turmeric Powder
- ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp Salt
Garnishing
- ¼ cup Chopped Cilantro
- 2 tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Green Garlic skip it if not available
- 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Mix all the daal listed above. Wash them thoroughly and soak them in warm water for 20-40 minutes.
- Place soaked daal in pressure cooker. Add 2-3 cups of water, salt, turmeric and sliced garlic.
- Bring it to boil. Close the lid and do 3 whistles. Once cooked, turn the heat off and let the pressure release completely on its own.
- If using Instant Pot, set instant pot on high pressure setting and cook it for 12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and release rest of the pressure manually.
- Once the pressure is released, open the lid. Use emerson blender to blend the daal to smooth texture. It should be thicker than watery soup and thinner than stew consistency. Add 1 cup of water at a time to the daal while you blend it to get the right consistency.
- Once blended smooth, start bringing it to boil (use saute mode for boiling if using Instant Pot). While you wait for daal to come to a boil, prepare tempering.
- Heat up 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee. Once warm, not too hot, add minced garlic and saute for a few seconds until raw smell of garlic is gone.
- Add thai green chili and ginger paste along with ⅛ tsp turmeric powder. Saute it for a minute or so on low/medium heat while stirring frequently. Do not burn it, do not let it get brown.
- Turn the heat off. Add red chili powder and garam masala. Mix it right away and immediately add it to the boiling daal.
- Once daal comes to boil, simmer it for 3-5 minutes. Make sure you have the right consistency. Add more water while simmering if it is too thick. Taste for salt and spices. Add more if needed.
- Turn the heat off. Add lemon juice. Mix well.
- Garnish it with chopped cilantro and fresh green garlic (if using any). Mix well.
- Serve it hot with steamed rice and side of crunchy salad/kachumber and lemon wedge with dollop of ghee!!
