Langar Di Daal
by VIVEIK OBEROI
My favourite dish: I've newly turned vegetarian, so that throws all the non-vegetarian dishes out of the window for now.
I love anything Punjabi, so it's hard for me to choose - kaali daal, raajma chaawal, pulao, makki di roti with sarson da saag.
My favourite place to eat is, honestly, the gurdwara, I love the langar da khaana - I don't know what's the secret ingredient in their kaali daal; maybe it's faith, maybe it's love. The best daal in the world is at The Golden Temple!
My favoured cuisine: Earlier, it used to be sushi but now that I'm vegetarian, it has to be Lebanese for the sheer freshness of their vegetables and ingredients. I think it beats Indian vegetarian food because we dunk everything in masala and can only taste the masala. I think it's important to be able to taste the vegetable.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/cooking-and-recipies/27117-langar-di-daal.htmlReference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=27117
My non-food passions: I love to watch great performances in cinema and all the arts - watching classical dances and ballet. I also have a passion for poetry - Neruda, Rumi, and I also write some myself.
Best meal I've ever had: I was in Mayo College and was hitchhiking with a bunch of my friends - we used to do a lot of mad trips. We got onto the back of one of those empty cement-carrying trucks and it was freezing winter. We reached Kurukshetra and somewhere between Kurukshetra and Ambala, the driver stopped at a dhaba and announced: 'main to idhar hi khaoonga' - ‘This is where I will eat!"
Those paranthas were the most amazing I've ever had - crisp coverings and melt-in-your-mouth aaloo (potato) which was not the saada (plain) aloo stuffing -perfect masala and big dollops of home white makhan (butter) - no Amul butter here - along with the most perfect channe-aur-saunf ka aam ka aachar.
The lassi was the tadka maarke lassi and came literally in pitchers.
The best part was the bill, which was only Rs 4.50 (10 cents) per head. After eating, we were so stuffed we just had to lie down on the cots there and stare at the sky - we couldn't move!
Ingredients for Maah/Urad di Daal
I Black maah/urad daal (whole) I 02 kg/ White butter I 02 kg / Tomato puree I 02/ Tin ginger-garlic paste I 300 gm/ Red chilly paste I 300 gm/ cream I 200 ml/ Kasuri methi powder I 03 tbs/ Salt to taste
Procedure
I Thoroughly wash black urad daal, and then soak it for two hours.
I Boil the daal over night on tandoor (alternately pressure cook till soft).
I Next day, add ginger garlic paste, red chilli paste, tomato puree and white butter in the daal and cook it on a slow fire till well done.
I Finish it with kasuri methi and cream.
[Article, courtesy: Times of India. Recipe, courtesy: J.W. Marriott, Mumbai]
October 15, 2009