Amti Maharashtrian Toor Dal

Method

1. 1

   Wash the dal: Place 1 cup toor dal in a bowl. Cover with water and rub the dal between your hands. The water will turn cloudy. Pour off the water. Repeat 3 to 4 times until the water runs mostly clear. Washing removes surface starch and makes the dal less gassy.

2. 2

   Pressure cook the dal: Place the washed dal in a pressure cooker with 3 cups water and 1/2 tsp turmeric. Close the lid. Cook on high heat until the first whistle sounds, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 3 more whistles. Remove from heat. Do not open the cooker immediately — let the steam release naturally for 10 minutes. If you do not have a pressure cooker, cook in a covered pot for 40 minutes, checking water level and adding more if needed.

3. 3

   Check and mash the dal: Open the cooker. The dal should be completely soft — press a few grains between your fingers, they should flatten with no resistance. Using a large spoon or a dal masher, mash the dal until smooth. Add 1 cup water and stir to get a consistency like thick flowing soup.

4. 4

   Soak the kokum: Place the dried kokum pieces in a small bowl with 1/4 cup warm water. Soak for 10 minutes. Squeeze the pieces firmly to extract all the sour liquid. Strain through a strainer and discard the spent pieces. Keep the pink kokum liquid.

5. 5

   Make the tempering: Heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil in a wide pan on medium heat. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds and wait for them to pop. Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 10 curry leaves, 1/4 tsp asafoetida and 2 dried red chillies. Stir for 15 seconds — the chillies will darken and puff slightly.

6. 6

   Cook the onion: Add the finely chopped onion. Cook on medium heat stirring every 2 minutes for 8 minutes until the onion turns golden.

7. 7

   Add tomato and spices: Add the chopped tomatoes. Cook stirring for 5 minutes until completely soft. Turn heat to low. Add 1 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp coriander powder. Stir for 2 minutes on low heat to cook the spice powders without burning.

8. 8

   Combine: Pour the mashed toor dal into the tempered onion-tomato mixture. Stir well. Add the kokum liquid. Add 2 tsp grated jaggery. Add salt. Mix everything.

9. 9

   Simmer and balance: Bring to a gentle boil on medium heat. Cook uncovered for 8 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste carefully — the amti should have a pleasant balance: slightly sour from the kokum, slightly sweet from the jaggery, mildly spicy and salty. Adjust by adding more jaggery if too sour, or a little more kokum water if not sour enough.

10. 10

    Garnish and serve: Scatter fresh coriander leaves on top. Serve hot over steamed white rice. Drizzle a small amount of ghee over the rice before adding the amti.

11. 11

    Note: Amti is the heart of a traditional Maharashtrian thali meal. The kokum-jaggery combination for souring and sweetening is entirely unique to Maharashtra and sets this dal apart from all other regional dals in India. North Indian dals use only lemon or tamarind for sourness; only in Maharashtra is kokum used this way.