Mango Tuvar Dal / Raw Mangoes and lentils

Writing all these recipes as a part of my Uttar Pradesh Thaali is bringing so many memories of the years, we lived in Kanpur and Lucknow. The richness of the food and warmth in the people was more than enough to make anyone happy. We had the privilege to make some very good friends during our stay there and also learned a lot about the cultural similarities and differences.

This recipe is made with tuvar dal which is the one frequently used in the South Indian cuisine for making sambhar and rasam. The seasonings are very simple and add a lot of flavor to the dal. I have used raw mango to add the tangy element to the dal. If raw mangoes are not in season, then omit that and add lemon juice at the end to the dal. I made this dish as a part of my UP Thaali. Do check out my other recipes that I made for the Thali.

My other recipes in the thali –

Aloo Ka Halwa
Hari Mirch ke tipore
Benarasi Aloo Matar
Poori
Rice
Kesar Malai Lassi

• Tuvar dal /Thuvaram paruppu– 1 cup
• Raw mango – 1 cup (peeled and chopped)
• Tomato – 1 large (chopped)
• Green chilies – 2 (chopped)
• Ginger – 1 tbsp (grated)
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Chili powder – ½ tsp
• Dhania powder/coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Sugar – 1 tsp
• Salt – to taste

To season –

• Ghee /oil – 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds/saunf – 1/2tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
• Asafetida – ¼ tsp
• Curry leaves – few
• Red chilies – 2 or 3

Procedure to make Mango Tuvar Dal –

• Wash the dal well and soak in water for about 15-20 minutes. This helps to soften the dal a bit and allows to cook faster.
• Now transfer this dal to a pressure cooker and also add 3/4th cup of the chopped mango, green chilies and turmeric powder.

• Cook it in the pressure cooker for about 4-5 whistles or until soft and mushy.
• Once you open the cooker, mash the dal and add the remaining mango pieces, ginger, salt, sugar, chili powder and coriander powder and mix well. Add enough water to bring it to the consistency you prefer and let the dal come to a boil. Then simmer for about 10 minutes.

• In the meantime, heat ghee/oil in a small pan and add all the seasonings.

•  Let it fry well and then add it to the simmering dal.

• Serve hot with rice and ghee!