Easy Zucchini Methi Dal

Hi Buddies,

I have started cooking Zucchini since  last year and its tastes very similar to neti beerakai. Zucchini is antioxidant rich and very healthy. Initially, I used to prepare curry with this, but few months back I tried dal (as Aashu likes only dal) and it came out very tasty!!! These days my son has become smarter and he approves it as dal only if he sees green stuff (spinach/methi) in it. So, I have tried it by adding methi leaves to it. Interestingly, this tastes even better. Moreover dal-zucchini-methi combo makes it a perfect healthy food 🙂 . Try this simple dal recipe and enjoy it with hot rice!!!

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
No of Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Zucchini: 1 (medium)
Toor Dal: 1 cup
Methi Leaves: 1 cup
Green Chili: 1 (As per taste)
Turmeric: pinch
Salt: as per taste
Tamarind Pulp: 1 tsp.
Red Chili: ½ tsp. (adjust as per your taste)

For Tempering:

Oil: 1 tbsp.
Cumin Seeds: 1 tbsp.
Mustard Seeds: 1 tbsp.
Red chili: 1
Curry Leaves: Few
asafoetida/Hing: pinch

Method:

• Wash and cut Zucchini into medium size pieces.

• Wash toor dal and cook it in pressure cooker along with zucchini pieces (add 90% of them),methi leaves, turmeric, green chili and water. As my son likes mashed Zucchini, I add 90% of pieces in cooker and 10% in tempering (it’s for us). But you can skip it and add it later.

• To cooked dal add salt, red chili powder, tamarind and little water (adjust to the consistency you like). You can add Zucchini now if you don’t want to put it in cooker.

• Let it cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
• Turn off the heat.
• Heat a pan with a tbsp. of oil and add cumin, mustard seeds, red chili and curry leaves.
• When they start crackling, add hing. I have added remaining Zucchini here; stir fried it for 1 minute and then transferred it to dal.
• Serve it with hot rice and ghee!!!

Notes: If you like to add garlic, add it in tempering.