Toor Dal Varn (Pigeon Peas Curry / Soup )

Cooked pigeon peas tempered with spices!

Toor Dal Varn (Pigeon Pea Soup/Curry)

Toor Dal or Pigeon Pea is one of the important and popular pulses in the different cuisines in India. Lentils are part of the daily menu in lot homes and so is at our home too. Toor dal varn(curry is called as varn in marathi) is one of the those comfort foods for us and am sure it is so, for lot of others as well!. While reading on wiki about the pigeon peas, I found an interesting note about the medicinal property of this legume that it is useful in treating the swelling of internal organs of the body. More details here. Below are the details for making this simple toor dal curry !

Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal pigeon peas

1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped (optional)

4 green chillies

1/4 tsp mustard seeds (optional)

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

pinch of asafoetida

2 tsp oil or ghee/clarified butter

1 strand of curry leaves (optional)

salt to taste

Preparation Method:

1. Cook the toor dal(pigeon peas) along with tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric with enough water so that the dal is fully cooked.

2. In another vessel, heat ghee. Add mustard seeds, as they splutter, add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida. Transfer the cooked dal into this vessel.(Keep the heat on low to avoid any spill/vapors)

3. Add salt bring it to boil. Garnish with cilantro/coriander.

4. Serve with rice or have it as a soup is this cold weather!

Preparation Time: 30-40 mins (Using pressure cooker will reduce the cooking time significantly)

Serves: 2 - 4 

Note:There are three ingredients with optional marks, it means you can still prepare the curry without using these ingredients and will still taste yummy.(i have used all the ingredients mentioned above)