A quick translation – PhoDNi is the Marathi word for Tadka or tempering. VaraN refers to cooked daal. So this is tempered daal Nagpur style. This is a common everyday daal recipe from the central Indian city of Nagpur – a family recipe I grew up eating.
Ingredients
- 2 cups split yellow pigeon peas (toor daal) cooked
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- Pinch of hing or Asafetida
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
How to Make It
- Cook about 1 cup of dry toor daal with turmeric and 2-3 cups water in a pressure cooker, or use the stove top method.
- This cooked daal is the starting point of the recipe.
- Mix cooked daal and water, whisk well and bring to a boil.
- Heat oil in a small wok or kadai.
- Add mustard seeds and let them pop for a bit.
- Switch off heat.
- Add hing or Asafetida and the cayenne pepper.
- Immediately pour this over the daal.
- Now bring the daal to a boil – just let the mixture come up once and switch off heat immediately.
- You want to lightly mix the tadka with the daal but still leave some at the top.
- Serve hot with rice or as part of an Indian meal.
