Dal Vangi Recipe – Spicy Lentils with Roasted Eggplant

Dal Vangi Recipe is delicious combination of fresh Brinjals and Lentils, seasoned with fresh spices making it a very comforting Maharashtrian dish. Simple pantry ingredients and fresh seasonal Brinjals is all that takes to make this Dal Vangi Recipe. Special Maharashtrian Goda Masala is added to lift the flavours in this dish. Course : Lunch Ingridients : 1 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal) 4 Brinjal (Baingan / Eggplant) , de-stemmed 3 Green Chillies , slit 3 cloves Garlic 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera) 2 tablespoons Dry coconut (kopra) , cut into small pieces 2 Kokum (Malabar Tamarind) 1 teaspoon Jaggery , grated 1 teaspoon Maharashtrian Goda Masala 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing) 7 Curry leaves 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) Salt , to taste 2 sprig Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , finely chopped Oil , for cooking Instructions To begin making the Dal Vangi Recipe, we will first cook the dal. In a pressure cooker, place the washed toor dal, along with 2-1/2 cups of water, kokum, a pinch of turmeric and salt.Cook until you hear a couple of whistles. After a couple of whistles turn the heat to low and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Once pressure has released, whisk the dal a bit and keep it aside.Follow How to Cook Lentils (Dals/Pulses) in a Pressure Cooker.The next step, we will prepare the roasted baingan or vangi for the Dal Vangi recipe.Coarsely pound the cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar, add the green chili, garlic and coconut and pound them coarsely.Cut the brinjals , lengthwise into quarters. The brinjal, once cut oxidises and turn black very quickly. To avoid this, keep the cut brinjals in salted water until ready to use. Drain and use when required.Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok or a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Once they crackle, add the curry leaves, along with the crush garlic-chili-coconut-cumin mixture. Stir for a few seconds until you can smell the aromas coming through. Add the turmeric powder and drained brinjal to the wok. Sprinkle some salt and stir to combine all the ingredients.Cover the pan and cook the brinjal until they are evenly roasted and cooked through. You can optionally sprinkle a little water and to fasten the cooking process.Once the brinjal is cooked through, add the cooked dal, the goda masala and stir well to combine. Add a little water to adjust the consistency of the dal. Check the salt and spice and adjust to suit your taste.Give the Dal Vangi a brisk boil, turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.Serve the Dal Vangi Recipe along with hot Steamed Rice , a dollop of ghee and some papad on the side or pair it with Bhakri to make a wholesome meal for the busy weeknight dinners.