Arbi or colocasia, the root vegetable with many health benefits makes numerous dishes. It’s nutritrituous values make it a super food.The dish arbi-chana dal curry, which I am going to share today, is very unique as well as amazingly tasty.
This is an authentic Punjabi dish whose roots are in undivided Punjab.This is my grandmom’s recipe(almost lost today) and I still can feel the flavour of this dish made by her.She used to slow cook this dish and the unique taste used to come with the slow cooking method prepared in a kadahi. There was no compromise with the time and It took two hours to complete the whole process !!
This is my honest try to follow the same process but in a pressure cooker( we can’t touch the patience and passion they had!!)..I have used all the ingredients she cooked with including 7-8 spices which make this dish so relishable. For this dish it is necessary to fry the arbi first to avoid it getting sticky. After frying the arbi slices, an aromatic tadka of onion-tomato is prepared and finally the soaked chana dal and fried arbi are added tothe masala to cook everything together. when the whole process is completed, the outcome is a completely tasty and unique dish
Course – Main Course
Cuisine – Indian
Prep Time – 30 Min (prep time requires soaking of chana dal)
Cook Time – 40 Min
Total Time – 75 Min
Yield – 5 Servings
Author – Bharti Dhawan
Ingredients
1- Arbi / colocasia – 500 gms (peeled and washed)
2- Chana dal – 1 cup or 100 gms (washed and soaked for 30 minutes)
3- Chopped onions – 1/4 cup
4- Chopped tomatoes – 1/4 cup
5- Chopped ginger, garlic and green chilly – 1 tsp each
6- Any cooking Oil – 3 tbsp
7- Salt – 2 tsp or to taste
8- Red chilly powder – 2 tsp
9- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
10 Haldi or turmeric powder – 2 tsp
11- Dry mango powder /aamchur- 2 tsp
12- Cumin/jeera – 2 tsp
13- Carom/ajwain seeds – 2 tsp
14- Asfoitida/heeng powder – 1 tsp
15- Juice of 1 lemon
16- Some fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
1- Cut each arbi into two pieces lengthwise.Heat oil in a cooker and add arbi
Fry them at medium flame till golden brown.When fried take them out and keep aside and prepare for tadka
2- In the same oil add chopped onions, ginger, green chilly and garlic and sauté. Add chopped tomatoes and mix well
3- Add salt, cumin, carom seeds and all the dry spices mentioned above and mix well. Add chana dal and 5 cups of water.
4- Time to add fried arbi and mix everything. Close the lid and pressure cook the dish for 10 minutes or till 5 whistles
5- Tasty arbi-chana dal curry is ready. Sprinkle some lemon juice and fresh coriander leaves before serving the dish with roti or rice
The recipe is step by step with images below
Cut each arbi into two pieces lengthwise.Soak chana dal for 30 minutes
Heat oil in a cooker and add arbi. Fry them till golden brown.When fried take them out and keep aside
In the same oil add chopped or grated onions, ginger, green chilly and garlic and sauté
Add salt and all the dry spices mentioned above and mix well
Add chopped tomatoes and mix well
Add chana dal and 5 cups of water.
Next, add fried arbi at this stage and mix everything together
Close the lid and pressure cook the dish for 10 minutes or till 5 whistles
Sprinkle some lemon juice and fresh coriander leaves before serving the dishYummy and unique arbi -chana dal curry is ready to serve with roti or rice
