Dalitoy: 20-Min Recipe

Pradeep Suresh Pai shares his mother’s treasured recipe for Dalitoy, a nourishing, warming Konkani classic from coastal Mangaluru that's super spicy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup toor dal or pigeon peas
• 3 cups water
• 4 green chillies, slit lengthwise

Ingredients, continued

• Pinch hing or asafoetida + 1 tsp soaked in 2-3 tbsp water
• Handful fresh green dhania or coriander leaves or cilantro
• Salt to taste, about 1 tsp

Ingredients, continued

• 2 tsp rai or mustard seeds
• 2-3 red chillies, broken

Ingredients, continued

• 8-10 kadipatta or curry leaves
• 1 tbsp ghee/oil

Method

• Dissolve the asafoetida in a little water and keep aside.
• Pressure cook the toor dal with the water for 3-4 whistles over medium heat.
  The consistency of dal would be slightly thick.

Method, continued

• Open up the cooker, add the asafoetida water, salt, bring the dal again to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  After about 5 to 8 minutes, add the green chillies, coriander leaves and cover and take off heat.

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• Melt the ghee in a small frying pan over medium heat.
  Add the the mustards seeds, red chillies, asafoetida powder, curry leaves.

Method, continued

• When the spices begin to splutter, take off heat and add to the dal and and cover the dal once again.
  Serve hot with steamed rice; Serves 2-3.