Pivli Dal

Picture added on 9 th Oct 08

This Dal is made by Koli people on Mon, Tue, Thu, or Sat. depending on which day they choose to abstain from Non veg. Can you imagine Kolis not eating fish on all those days? Neverrrrrrrrr. So on a chosen day the menu of the day would be Pivli Dal and Lasnachi chutney with Dhaan and fried papad and lonche. Eating Dal even for a single meal is a big pain for Kolis. There is a myth that if one eats Dal for dinner one will get a stomach ache. They simply don't like veg much. Hence you will notice that the Dal is made more in Non-veg style never plain. It has a yellow color after cooking hence the name Pivli dal actually it greenish yellow.

It was a surprise to find this Dal in Kerala. We had checked into a hotel in Periyar after a 4 hr drive from Munnar. My Dad was craving for Dal-n-rice. We ordered and were surprised to get the Dal made in this style with fried Rice papads, pickle etc. Ate our fill and snored away into the sultry afternoon. Even the surroundings there were like we were in a orchad in Alibag, Maharashtra. We travel to explore unkown lands yet the heart always goes back to our roots.

Ingredients
1 cup Tur Dal
1 potato cut into 4 parts
1 table spoon Moong Dal (yellow)
1/2 teaspoon Mustard
2-3 pods garlic
1-2 red chilies
salt to taste
3 cups water
2 teaspoon oil

Masala:
3 inch piece coconut
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 handful coriander leaves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 green chillies

Lets start with making the masala. Grind together all item into a paste and keep aside.

Method 1: with uncooked Dals and potato
In a small pressure cooker heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Mash the garlic pods a bit and and to the phodni (seasoning) in the oil and the red chili.Fry a bit to make garlic soft. Then add the masala and stir 2 -3 times. Last add the 2 Dals, potato, salt and water. Close the lid and pressure cook as you normally do. After the whistles, put of the gas and let it cool. When you open the cooker just mix well take care not to mash the potatoes. The Dal is ready eat with rice. The Potato pieces have to be large and they taste amazing when cooked in this dal.

Method 2:with cooked Dals/potato

Heat oil, splutter mustard. Fry the garlic and the red chili. Add cooked Dals and boiled potato. Boil for 5 mins. Add masala, salt and boil for 10 mins. This is more authentic way.