The Quintessential Parsi Mori Dar - Dhan Dar

I, at times, pen very basic recipes. At my blog Kenzy’s Kitchen Korner, they’re based under the heading ‘Back To The Basics’. While many of us have been cooking for eons, there are quite a many newbies to the culinary world, cautiously dipping their toes in culinary waters around them, trying to gauge how safe the water feels to their tingling toes. Isn’t it up to us, the ones who have been cooking for ever so long, to ensure their first culinary attempts turn into feats? The ‘Back To The Basics’ series is my small way of repaying my debt to those grand old ladies (my grand moms, my grand aunts and my aunts) who so patiently taught me the nitty-gritty basics when I, as a very curious teenager of thirteen, insisted on entering the kitchen. 

Dal (lentils) is staple food across many cultures in India. It’s no different for us Parsis. When and how the simple Mori Dar attained an esteemed status for us Bawas, I do not know. All I know is Mori Dar is always eaten for lunch on auspicious days. Be it a wedding lunch, an engagement day, birthdays or the afternoon navjote (thread ceremony) meal; this humble dar (dal) always graces the occasion. Sagan ni Mori Dar, is the term used. ‘Sagan’ in this context, is loosely translated as ‘good-luck’. Of course, a rich, scrumptious fish or prawn patio and many other non-vegetarian dishes always accompany the Mori Dar to ensure none of the Parsi’s experience ‘non-veg withdrawal symptoms. 😀 Serving no non-veg on auspicious-joyous occasions would be considered sacrilege as most Bawas are carnivores and cannot do without non-veg food.

While the cooking process for the dal remains the same in all Parsi homes, there are many variations to seasoning-tempering of the dal. Another constant in the making of this dal is the use of pure ghee (clarified butter). I shall write down the list of variations at the end of the recipe. For now, this is the recipe as made at home. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1.5 cups toor dal (split pigeon peas)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons salt (adjust later if need be)

4¼ cups water

1 teaspoon (slightly heaped) cumin seeds

20-24 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into thin roundels (see photograph)

10 green chilies (long - light green variety), cut into 1-inch pieces

7 to 10 tablespoons clarified butter (pure ghee)

Method:

1. Soak toor dal in warm water for 45 minutes. 
2. Drain the water in which the dal is soaked and wash the dal 3 to 4 times or until the water runs clean and clear.
   
   
3. Put the dal in a pressure cooker; add turmeric powder, salt and water.
   
   
4. Pressure cook the dal for three whistles. Shut off the stove and allow the pressure in the cooker to release gradually by itself. 
5. Open the cooker when the pressure is released and run an electric hand mixer through it to smoothen the dal. (Alternately, a manual hand mixer would work just as well, - just more tedious, though). Empty the smoothened dal in a vessel.
   
   
6. In a wok-kadai, heat clarified butter. Add the cumin seeds, green chili pieces and chopped garlic.
   
   
7. Lower the flame and fry until the garlic turns golden and the green chilies lose their bright green colour and darken.
   
   
8. Press the green chilies gently into the sides of the wok so as to allow them to release their spiciness into the clarified butter.
   
   
9. When done, carefully pour the seasoning into the dal and give it a stir.
   
   
10. Put the dal back on the stove and simmer for a few minutes so as to allow the flavours to meld. (Alternately, you can serve the clarified butter tempering separately. It can be drizzled over each individual bowl of dal at meal time. The plus point of doing this: the garlic and cumin seeds retain their crispness). 
11. Check seasoning and add if needed and simmer for a few more minutes.
    
    

Accompaniments:

This Dal is usually served with:

• Plain White Rice or Jeera Rice (my choice is Jeera Rice) 
• Masala or Rawa Fried Fish/Prawns 
• Fish or Prawn Patio 
• Crisp fried fresh Bombay Ducks 
• Crisp fried Levti (Mudskipper – a fresh water variety of fish found on muddy shores - seasonal) 
• All kinds of pickles - We Bawas prefer Prawn or Dry Bombay Duck or Roe pickle (seasonal). 
• Coconut-Coriander-Mint-Green Chilies Chutney (mum loves this combo).
  

  

  Mori Dar served with soft Indrayani Jeera Rice, Tarapori Patio (Dry Bombay Duck Pickle) and Gharab nu Aachar (Fish Roe Pickle)

  

  Mori Dar served with Plain Basmati Rice, Gharab nu Aachar (Fish Roe Pickle) and Surmai Rava Fry

  

  While I will do all the fancy-schmancy stuff  to click pics of dal-rice in a bowl for the blog, this is how we usually eat it at home. Typical Bawa style (Call me snooty, but I need a fork and spoon to eat this 😝)

Variations with Clarified Butter: 

• Plain Clarified Butter (when I’m hard pressed for time)
• Cumin Seeds, Garlic, Green Chilies (omit or add as suited to what’s in your pantry or as suited to your mood and palate) 
• Instead of large green chili pieces you can also use finely chopped green chilies. If you decide to chop them finely please reduce the quantity of chilies. Many Parsi’s do not prefer that light hit of spiciness which is why they avoid using green chilies altogether. We use ‘em coz we love it! 
• Fried Crisp Onions (Brista) – Add it to the dal or serve it separately during the meal. 

Please note: 

• We never use curry leaves, mustard seeds or asafetida for tempering the Parsi dal. That would be sneaking over to the Maharashtrain style Varan Bhaat.
• We never use anything other than clarified butter or regular oil (kinda urghh) for the seasoning-tempering process.

Chef’s Notes:

1. The Sagan ni Mori Dar is also known as Dhan Dar. Dhan basically means rice (signifying prosperity and wealth in many cultures) and Dar of course means dal (lentils). 
2. It’s such a simple recipe, I cannot think of anything more that needs to be said. 
3. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.