The Smiling Sun | Tetor Dal & Tok Dal Recipes

The Smiling Sun: Summer Lentils from a Bengali Kitchen

By Barnali Dutta | Published: 2014-05-25

Food can withstand all of the seasonal impacts on human body and Bengali food habit follows that rule from the early Vedic ages.

Regular Bengali food can keep your doctor away in all seasons and may be the living habit of a Bengali with all sweet, bitter and sour interferences in their life by their neighborhood, friends, relatives, and well wishers is the basic mantra of livelihood, staying close to each other and staying out of mental stress!! So you can say all natural stress buster is present in a Bengalis life.

In summer we always prefer to stay cool with bitter and sour dishes. The recipe variations are unlimited. Like this recipe we have hundreds of different tasty bitter dishes so we need not stick on a single vegetable like bitter gourd.

Bitter Gourd Lentil – Tetor Dal

Bengali Tetor Dal made with bitter gourd and roasted moong dal for a light summer meal

The bitter gourd lentil is a dish which will never be so bitter that you would like to skip it. Today, the utility of natural green bitter vegetables does not need any new explanations.

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 15 min | Total time: 20 min

Yield: 3 | Serving size: 2 tablespoon | Calories per serving: 155 | Fat per serving: 5g

Ingredients

• Moong dal – 100g
• Bitter gourd – 50g
• Turmeric – 1 teaspoon
• Black mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Bay leaf – 1
• Salt – to taste
• Mustard oil – 2 teaspoons
• Sugar – 1 pinch
• Dried whole red chili – 1
• Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon
• Boiled hot water – 2 cups

Directions

1. Dry roast moong dal for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly until slightly golden.
2. Wash and clean the roasted dal with warm water. Soak for 5 minutes.
3. Boil 1 cup water, add soaked dal and simmer until slightly mushy. Remove from heat and keep aside.
4. Wash and clean the bitter gourd, cut into rounds and wash again.
5. Season the bitter gourd with salt and turmeric.
6. Heat mustard oil in a deep pan until near smoking point. Add mustard seeds, bay leaf, broken red chili and bitter gourd. Fry lightly. Add ginger paste.
7. Add the boiled dal to the pan, keeping a safe distance as it may splutter.
8. Add 1 cup boiled water, salt to taste and a pinch of sugar to balance the bitterness.
9. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes or until the bitter gourd cooks properly. Turn off the heat, add one green chili, cover and rest for 5 minutes. Bengali Tetor Dal is ready to serve.

Red Lentil Sour Soup – Tok Dal

Bengali Tok Dal with red lentils and raw mango, a cooling daytime summer dish

Bengalees prefer both bitter and sour on summer days. Actually yes, I feel cool, light and satisfied after eating my meal. One more thing to be noted, these dishes are exclusively for daytime meal, match best with rice and are not suitable for dinner. Why? I never tried to explore the causes; generation by generation Bengali takes bitter and sour in the daytime meal to follow Ayurveda.

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 15 min | Total time: 20 min

Yield: 3 | Serving size: 2 tablespoon | Calories per serving: 120 | Fat per serving: 0.1g

Ingredients

• Masoor dal (red lentil) – 100g
• Unripe mango – 50g
• Curry leaves – 5 to 6
• Black mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Sugar – 2 teaspoons
• Mustard oil – 1 teaspoon
• Dried whole red chili – 1
• Boiled hot water – 2 cups

Directions

1. Wash and clean the dal with warm water. Soak for 5 minutes.
2. Boil 1 cup water, add soaked dal and simmer until slightly mushy. Remove from heat and keep aside.
3. Wash and clean the unripe mango, peel and cut into diagonal pieces. You may keep the seed. Wash again.
4. Heat oil in a deep pan until near smoking point. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, broken chili and raw mango pieces. Fry lightly.
5. Add the boiled dal to the pan, keeping a safe distance as it may splutter.
6. Add 1 cup boiled water, salt to taste and sugar to balance the sourness.
7. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add one green chili, cover and rest for 5 minutes. Bengali Tok Dal is ready to serve. Best served as a cool lentil soup with hot rice.