Recipe - Dhansak (Chicken With Lentils 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 Inch 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
1 lg Onion; cut or sliced up
1 One half Inches ginger root; peel &
thinly slice
2 Green chiles; finely chopped
3 Cloves garlic; crushed
One half teaspoon Ground cinnamon
One half teaspoon Ground cardamom
One half teaspoon Ground cloves
1 One half teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Ground coriander
One half teaspoon Hot chili powder
3 tablespoon Coriander leaves; chopped

"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.

Busted by Christopher E. Eaves cea260@airmail.net

Recipe by: Cribbed and adapted from a Brit cook book by CB

Posted to recipeludigest by "Christopher E. Eaves" cea260@airmail.net on
Mar 13, 1998