Gaajar aur Turai waali Moong Dal (Yellow moong dal with Carrots and Sponge Gourd)

"The best of all medicines are Resting and Fasting" - Benjamin Franklin 

Many religions and scientific systtastf belief that exist today we're formed off sound principles but due to the limitations of language and perceptions, some of the science in those principles faded off with time while many meaningless rituals stayed back. 

Every religion propagates periodic fasts and though sometimes these practices seem to be tied down to myths and ancient legends, their existence in society even today serves an important purpose.

One: of detox or in other words excercising control over common foods, we come so much to depend on, that we eat them mechanically and religiously without questioning their significance or listening to our bodies and taste buds; 

And Two of promoting awareness of life beyond the physical body.

In this post, I am going to only talk of the first purpose.

Different cultures follow different cleansing routines when seasons change. That is the reason most fasts are observed before the beginning of a major season when, according to Ayurveda, the doshic energies that govern our bodies, changes with the seasons. And the best way to remain healthy is to live in harmony with nature. 

I don't have much of a routine to follow for Spring/Summer Time cleansing in terms of festive fasting so when I do fast, I don’t do it to please the Gods, I do it so I can focus my attention away from the physical body. I do so not by starving it but by feeding it just what it craves. So here's the recipe for today's Lunch.

This dal is loosely based on a semi dry dal my mother would make often when I was a kid and it was one of my most favorites, so much that I could have dal roti and salad every day.

In the peak of summer when the weather is more dry, you can still have it on the plate. It goes very well with a nice oily aloo baingan and rotis. And ofcourse you can cook it with a little more water to make it less dry. Like so.

Here's what you need:

Half a cup of Split Yellow Moong Dal (washed + soaked in 2 to 2. 5 parts water for atleast 15 - 20 min).

Half a cup of carrots (washed, peeled and chopped into half inch sized pieces)

Half a cup of turai (washed, peeled and chopped into half inch sized pieces)

Half a Tbsp of oil (I used Sesame seeds oil)

One-fourth cup or less of chopped onion

A smallpiece of chopped ginger

A teaspoon of jeera seeds and a pinch of hing

Ama Spice Mix and Sendha Namak 

A small tomato chopped 
A fresh lemon plus some chopped corriander leaves.

And here's what you do:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add jeera when hot. While the jeera sizzles, add hing and ginger and mix well. Add the Ama Spice Mix to the oil and mix thoroughly.

As soon as you get the aromatic smell of the spices cooking in oil, add the turai, mix, cook, add the carrots followed by onions. You only need the veggies to sweat a little before adding dal.

After sautéing it for some time, now add the water. Cook for a few more minutes. Add the salt and chopped tomatoes on top before putting the lid on and cook on a medium flame till pressure indicator is raised. Lower the flame and cook further. Switch off the flame just before the whistle blows. 

Open the lid when all the steam has escaped. Mix, and cook on open flame for just a bit more before adding a few drops of fresh lemon juice to complete the 6 tastes and serve hot garnished with corriander leaves.

And now here's why I do what I do:

Split Moong Dal is considered to be tridoshic (suitable for all body constitutions) and the most easily digestible and fast cooking amongst all other dals. Most people will tell you it doesn't require any soaking prior to cooking but unless you are cooking it with lots of water, its always better to soak. 

Like most other dals, moong dal is also a little Vatahari (i.e., it may increase Vata Dosha). Excess Vata is what causes gas related problems. Here it is cooked with salt and sweet tasting vegetables both of which tastes help balance Vata Dosha. The sour taste (brought about by the lemon here) also serves the purpose of balancing excess Vata Dosha. When cooking dry moong dal, it is always best to avoid or limit the use of bitter pungent and astringent tasting spices (Hing being the exception here because it is very helpful in balancing and pacifying excess Vata Dosha). Also, dal needs a little cooking before (or after) being pressure cooked (remember another hindi idiom - pressure cooker mein dal gallti hai, pakti nahin , which translates to 'pressure cooking only softens the pulse).

For getting maximum flavour from the dal and veggies (rather than spices), its important to follow the cooking procedure as is. The turai and carrots need to sauté in oil, the onions should be added after turai and should not be allowed to brown. Some cultures avoid onions all the time, while others avoid onions during fasting due to its Rajasic and/or Tamasic properties (there are different opinions about the onion based on different schools of thought). Onion is a lovely vegetable with a very strong flavour, its sweet and pungent at the same time, it is also a source of orange 'prana' (prana is vital energy) in the body. Some also say, it dulls intelligence, others say it awakens desire and distracts the soul from its purity but used in limits, it is definitely beneficial. A lot of the ill reputation for the onion is related to the compound sulfur present in it. Gandhak (the sanskrit or ayurvedic name for sulphur) is said to be responsible for purifying the blood and preventing toxic built-up besides aiding in healthy digestion.

I think a little bit of onion goes a long way in adding flavor to the dish and if you do not overcook it, it's easily digestible too. Onions have a pungent taste when raw and sweet taste when cooked, so the key, as with other ingredients is to cook it just enough to create a good balance of tastes in combination with other ingredients. The quantities (ratio of dal is to veggies) mentioned in this recipe can be varied to adjust different tastes. Carrots also add to the sweetness but the blandness and bitterness of turai balances it out.

This dish covers all the 6 ayurvedic tastes (sweet, salty and astrigent being the primary tastes), the sour taste (of lemon here) is added only towards the end before serving. This is because the sour taste  is usually the first step in the digestion process when the food enters the mouth. It stimulates appetite by promoting salivation. 

Bonus Appétit!!