About the Recipe
Pumpkin Dal has a savoury, slightly sweet, and warm flavour with notes of spice combined with the earthy taste of Lentils and the sweetness of Pumpkin. The dish has a rich and creamy texture, enhanced by the aromatics and a final tempering for a spicy finish.
Ingredients
For the Chingri Do Piaza
2 Onions: one roughly chopped; the other thinly sliced into half-moons
4-cm piece of Ginger, roughly chopped
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled
4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
½ Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Salt
100ml warm Water
450g Raw Prawns, deveined and shelled
2 Green Chillies, slit in the middle
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander
For the Dal
200g Red Lentils
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Onion, thinly sliced
2.5-cm Ginger, grated
250g (5oz) Pumpkin Puree
1 Tsp Turmeric
½ Tsp Chilli Powder
1 ½ Tsp Salt
300ml Water
1 Tbsp Tomato Purée
For the Tempered Spices
2 Tbsp Ghee
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tsp Chillies Flakes
4 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
Preparation
For the Chingri Do Piaza
In a food processor, blitz the chopped Onions with the Ginger and Garlic.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat
Add the sliced Onions and stir until they are nicely caramelised
Add the Onion paste followed by the ground Spices and stir for a minute, then add the Salt and warm Water, and bring to the boil
Reduce the heat to medium and keep stirring until the water reduces and the raw smell of the garlic is gone
When the oil is visible around the edges of the onion mix, add the Prawns and Green Chillies, and continue to stir until the Prawns are pink and no longer translucent.
Add the Lemon Juice and taste for seasoning
Garnish with chopped fresh Coriander
For the Pumpkin Dal
Wash the Lentils in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear
Soak the Lentils for 30 minutes
Drain well.
Warm the Oil in a heavy-based pan that has a lid over a medium heat
Add the sliced Onions and stir until they start to turn brown,
Add the Ginger and keep stirring.
Add the Pumpkin Paste along with the Turmeric and Chilli Powder, and stir for a minute
Add the Salt and the drained Lentils
Stir for a few more minutes, then add the measured Water and bring to the boil
Partially cover and reduce to a simmer for 10–20minutes
Leave the lid slightly ajar–you need to keep stirring the dal at regular intervals
When the Dal and Pumpkin are cooked, remove the lid, add the Tomato Purée, and stir to ensure it does not get stuck at the bottom of the pan
Take the Dal off the heat
Temper the Dal before serving
Heat the Ghee in a small frying pan over a medium heat
Add the Cumin Seeds followed by the Chillie Flakes and then the Garlic
Keep stirring to ensure the Garlic is cooked evenly
When the Garlic starts to turn brown, tip the contents of the pan into the Lentils
Taste for seasoning before serving.