Procedure to make Dhansaak?

Answer 1

Vegetarian Dhansaak - my all time favorite!

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This is my all time favorite dish. A very dear Parsi friend of mine taught me how to make it. Knowing that my mom did not prepare meat at home and hence me too, she converted this non-vegetarian dish to a vegetarian one. I consider this to be a complete meal when eaten with brown rice and kachumber. The measurements are given form the Indian perspective, but I have put western equivalents so that preparing this dish out here is a breeze. Beware though this is not a low fat recipe, but it always a big hit with friends and family alike. This recipe also freezes well for 4-5 months.

Vegetarian Dhansaak

¾ cup arhar (toovar dal)
1 ½ tbsp. Masoor dal
1 ½ tbsp. moong dal
½ tbsp. Val ni dal
1 tbsp. Chana dal
2 onions grated or chopped very small
1 potato
100 gms red pumpkin ( I use half a can of pumkin paste which is used to make pumking pies. Here in the US, the brand is called Libby’s)
2 bunches methi bhaji ( or 2 cups of dried methi bhaji)
1 tomato
¼ bunch cilantro

To be ground or mixed into a paste –
1 pcs. Dry coconut (or 4 tbsp. Dessicated coconut powder)
1 small pc. Ginger (or 2 tsp. Ginger paste)
4-5 cloves garlic (or 1 tbsp. Garlic paste)
4-6 dry red chillies ( or 4-5 tsp. Red chilli powder)
1 tsp. Jeera ( ot ¾ tsp. Jeera powder – dhana jeera powder will also do)
1 tsp. Hald1powder
2 pcs. Cinnamon sitck (or about 3 tsp cinnamon powder)
3 cloves (or 1 tsp. Clove powder)
4-5 pcs pepper corns (or 2 tsps. Pepper powder)
1 lime sized ball of tamarind (or 1 tbsp. Of tamarind paste)
2 tbsp. Ghee

Method:

1. Wash the dals ands soak for 2 hours.
2. Mix all the ingredients into a ready made paste or sauté coconut, chillies, dhahajeera, taj, cloves and pepper in oil. Cool and grind into paste.
3. Now mix all the dals, potato, methi bhaji, pumpkin and cook in pressure cooker for 3 whistles. When cooked. Blend well. Add the tomatoes, cilantro nd blend again.
4. Now sauté the onions in ghee till light obronw, add the masala paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Now add the dal and mix well. Cook on low flame for anout 15 minutes.

You are done. If you have all the ingredients ready, this should not take long at all. I am a very methodical cook. I have all the ingredients ready in the house (all I have to do is collect them andmix into the paste), soak the dal well ahead and then it takes just about 45 minutes to get this ready.

While the dal is being cooked, prepare the brown rice also.

Brown Rice

2 cups basmati rice
2-3 tbsp ghee
2-3 onions grated ro very finely chopped
1 tsp. Shah jeera or plain jeera wiil do
Coarsely grind the following – 2 pcs of cinnamon, 4 elaichi, 5-6 cloves
Salt to taste

1. Heat ghee, add onions. Saute till brown, add the masala and jeera and rice.
2. Saute for 2 minutes. Now add hot water and cook the rice till done. To brown the rice a little more, add 1 tbsp soya sauce.


Once you are done with the rice preparation, get the kachumber ready

Kachumber

Chop 2 onions finely. Add 2 finely green chilli. Now add the ready made bhel chuney to make a thin mixture. (Or alternatively prepare the tamarind chutney form scratch). Add salt to taste, chopped coriander and 2 tsp red chilli powder. Mix well.

If you follow methodically, the rice and the kachumber will be done, by the time dhansaak is ready.

Mix dhansaak, rice and kachunber and enjoy this dish hot.

I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as we do.

PS: This is a good nutritious recipe for pregnant women. I used get special requests to prepare this when my friends were pregnant. It just livens up your taste buds.

Answer 2

Chicken Dhansak
http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/misc/recipes/dhansak.html
http://www.curryhouse.co.uk/rsc/dhansak.htm

Lamb Dhansak
http://www.cuzza.com/recipes/dhansak/

King Prawn Dhansak
http://www.curryfrenzy.com/curry/recipes/King-Prawn-Dhansak.html

Vegetarian Dhansak
http://www.khanakhazana.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?id=187