RED BELL PEPPER DHAL


RED BELL PEPPER DHAL
I made this dhal just to use up one lonely red bell pepper, which had been lying in the fridge for more than week but this dhal tasted so good that I made the same dhal the very next week. These days I keep alternating between sambar and red bell pepper dhal. I have not added onions or tomatoes here. They can also be added along with the peppers.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Moong dhal or masoor dhal or toor dhal, ½ to 1 cup.
2. Re bell pepper, 1.
3. Green chilies, 2.
4. Garlic, 3 cloves.
5. Mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon.
6. Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon.
7. Asafetida, 1 pinch.
8. Salt as per taste.
9. Vadakam ½ teaspoon, (optional).
10. Turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon.

PREPARATION:
Wash the dhal well. Dice the pepper into small pieces and slit the green chilies into 2. Crush the garlic coarsely. Take a pressure cooker or a pressure pan and put the washed dhal, chilies, crushed garlic, turmeric powder, salt as per taste along with 1-1/2 cups of water. Pressure cook for about 10-15 minutes for up to 3 whistles. Transfer the cooked dhal to a vessel when the pressure is released. Meanwhile heat a small pan with some oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the cumin seeds, and vadakam, and let them fry for 30 seconds. Then add the diced peppers and sauté them for a few minutes until they turn soft. Add the cooked dhal along with a pinch of asafetida, mix everything well, and let it simmer for a few minutes until the desired consistency is reached. Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro and serve hot with idlis, dosas, rotis, or rice.

28 comments:

FH said...

Those colorful Peppers are really expensive here, $1 each. I buy one color each and cook a colorful dish, that's it! :D

Dal looks delicious. I have 2 green peppers in the fridge, might try!:)

Pooja said...

Never thought of using bell peppers in pappu..Nice idea Gita..Looks colorful...Yummy pappu..

Poornima Nair said...

The dal looks really flavorful, great idea to add peppers...

Shama Nagarajan said...

delicious one dear..yummy

Usha said...

Looks delicious, never tried dhal with bell pepper, great idea :-)

Vikis Kitchen said...

Red bell pepper curry seems new to me. But a nice invention to use them in Indian cuisine. I use them just as pizza topping:)
Have to try ur dhal.

Anonymous said...

Thats an innivative dhal with bell pepper...would love to see Gita

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Healthy and a colorful dish... I thought it was soup, so refreshing and creamy...

Manju said...

dal looks very flavourful and colourful!! yummy dish!

Ammu said...

Red bell peppers dal looks delicious & nutricious.

Priya Suresh said...

Thats a colourful dhal Gita!

Chef Jeena said...

Lovely dhal Gita I love red peppers. :-)

Cham said...

I make sambar but dhal is good idea too!

Uma said...

looks so colorful and delicious. I make the same dal sometimes. Your version looks great!

Pooja said...

The dal looks delicious Gita :) Great idea of adding bell peppers.

Vibaas said...

that does sound yum. i will try it too :)

Astra Libris said...

Oooh, such a beautiful, colorful dish!! I love dhal - the texture and flavors are amazing! You dish is completely tempting... In a good, healthy way... :-)

Indian Khana said...

That's a gud idea to use bell pepper in dhal..looks nice

Varsha Vipins said...

Thats a quick idea to save the Bell pepper..:P..Looks good Gita..:)

chef and her kitchen said...

Red peppers in dal, nice idea gita...will try nexttime..BTW what is vadakam?

Raks said...

I love bell pepper and dhal combo! Yummy looking Gita!

Laavanya said...

I love red bell peppers... dhal looks nice - no wonder you've made it several times since then.

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Nice idea of red bell peppers in dhal. Nice color.

Sanghi said...

love it..

Deepthi Shankar said...

nice looking dhal .. love the taste of bell peppers

AnuSriram said...

Delicious recipe! Looks lovely!

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

My first time here gita. That's a new combination for me- bell pepper and dal. I really like people who think out of the box and come up with new ideas.
Great one.Glad to follow your blog

Vrinda said...

My first visit to ur blog Gita..Great way to use red bell pepper,sounds good.Liked ur simple smabar recipe..