Recipe - Dhansak (Chicken Wlentils And Vegetables)

One half cup Tur dhal
1/8 cup Channa dhal
One fourth cup Masoor dhal
1/8 cup Moong dhal
3 Three fourths cup Water
2 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoon Ghee or clarified butter
1 sl (1inch) fresh ginger root;
peeled and chopped
1 Clove garlic; finely chopped
8 Pieces chicken
1 tablespoon Fresh mint; finely chopped
1 Aubergine (brinjal;
eggplant), cubed
1 1/3 cup Pumpkin; peeled and cubed
1 cup Spinach; chopped
1 lg Onion; cut or sliced up
14 ounce Tomato; peeled

MASALA
4 tablespoon Ghee or clarified butter
1 lg Onion; cut or sliced up
1 sl (1.5inches) fresh ginger
root; peeled and cut or sliced up
2 Green chillis (Cayennes?);
finely chopped
3 Cloves garlic; crushed
One half teaspoon Cinnamon; ground
One half teaspoon Cardamom; ground
One half teaspoon Cloves; ground
1 One half teaspoon Turmeric; ground
1 teaspoon Coriander; ground
One half teaspoon Hot chilli powder
3 tablespoon Coriander leaves; chopped

Date: Tue, 02 Apr 1996 09:21:06 0500 (EST)

From: begg@kcgl1.eng.ohiostate.edu (Cameron Begg)

Recipe By: Cribbed and adapted from a Brit cook book by CB
"The Parsees are an important religious sect whose members fled from Persia
hundreds of years ago and settled mainly on the West coast of India. They
have remained intact as a community and their cooking is quite distinctive.
This is one of their most famous dishes, and although it is normally made
with chicken, (so I guessed incorrectly) as here, lamb can be substituted.
The dhals mentioned are merely different forms of lentils; if you cannot
obtain them all, the more common red or yellow lentils may be substituted."

Wash all the dhals thoroughly and soak for 30 min. in some cold water.
Drain and transfer to large saucepan. Add the 3.75 cups (A U.S. cup is 8fl.
oz.) water and salt and bring to the boil, skimming off any scum. Reduce
heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 mins.

Meanwhile, fry the ginger and garlic for 2 mins. in a frying pan with the
ghee. Add chicken, and fry until deeply and evenly browned. Transfer this
mixture to the dhall.

Add the mint, aubergine, pumpkin, spinach, onion and tomatoes. Increase
heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 mins., or
until chicken is cooked through and tender. Remove chicken pieces to a
plate. Puree the dhal and veg. in a blender and set aside.

To make the masala, clean the pan and fry the onion in ghee until golden.
Stir in ginger chillis and garlic and fry for 3 mins. Stir in all the
remaining ingredients, except coriander leaves, and fry stirring constantly
for 8 mins. A little water may be added if mixture becomes too dry. Pour
the pureed dhal and veg. mixture into the masala and mix well. Bring to
boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 mins. Stir in chicken and simmer
for further 10 mins., basting the chicken with the sauce. Transfer to warm
serving dish and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

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