Sobji Diye Bhaja Muger Dal Recipe – Bengali Style Moong Dal with Winter Vegetables

The Sobji Diye Bhaja Muger Dal is delicately flavored with ghee and cumin to let the aroma of dry roasted yellow mung shine through. In winter vegetables are added to make it more nutritious. Dal or lentil is the second important protein for Bengalis after fish. They need to have a ladleful of any lightly flavored lentil dish for their meal everyday. In a Bengali style of eating, Dal is eaten as a second or third course with some fritter or stir fries. Course : Lunch Ingridients : 3/4 cup Yellow Moong Dal (Split) 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1 cup Cauliflower (gobi) , cut into florets 2 tablespoons Green peas (Matar) , steamed 1/4 Green beans (French Beans) , cut in 1 1/4 cup Kaddu (Parangikai/ Pumpkin) , diced 1 inch Ginger , grated 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera) 1 Bay leaf (tej patta) 1/2 inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) 2 Cloves (Laung) 2 Cardamom (Elaichi) Pods/Seeds 2 Dry Red Chillies 1 teaspoon Sugar 1 tablespoon Ghee Salt , to taste Instructions To begin making the Sobji Diye Bhaja Muger Dal Recipe, we will first make the spice powder.In a pestle and mortar, make a powder of the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and keep aside.Next dry roast the moong dal in a heavy bottomed pan. It will take almost 8-10 minutes for them to roast beautifully. Keep stirring at regular interval. Once this is done wash the dal 2-3 times and then add 2-1/2 cups of water a pinch of turmeric. Cover and let it cook on medium till the grains are almost cooked.While this the dal is getting cooked, we will proceed to cook the vegetables.In a wok or a kadai, heat a teaspoon of oil lightly stir fry the cauliflower florets and beans with a pinch of salt and turmeric until it is just about cooked. Take care not to cook it too soft. Once done, stir in the spice powder mix and turn off the heat.Once the dal is almost cooked add the stir fried vegetables along with pumpkin and green peas to the dal. Add salt as per taste. Let all the vegetables get cooked along with the dal. Once done turn off the heat. Adjust the consistency of the dal by adding a little water if required.The final step is to make the seasoning for the dal. Heat ghee in a small tadka pan; add cumin, bay leaves, dry red chilli once they start to splutter add the the ginger. Saute on medium for a few seconds and then pour the seasoning over the vegetable dal. Stir in the sugar, check the salt and cover the pan for the flavours to mingle and simmer the dal for a couple of more minutes.Once done, turn off the heat and serve.Serve the Sobji Diye Bhaja Muger Dal along with warm Steamed Rice, Papad and Aloo Parval for lunch or dinner.