Anandpur Sahib Langar Dal Baigan Simple Aubergine

Method

1. 1

   Cook dal and brinjal together: Wash toor dal. Place in pressure cooker with brinjal cubes, 3 cups water and turmeric. Cook 4 to 5 whistles — both dal and brinjal cook together. The brinjal dissolves partially into the dal, thickening it.

2. 2

   Mash gently: Open the cooker. Stir — the dal and brinjal should be a unified thick preparation.

3. 3

   Add salt: Add salt.

4. 4

   Heat ghee: Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a pan. Ghee is the cooking medium for langar.

5. 5

   Add cumin seeds: Add cumin seeds — crackle. Add asafoetida. Stir 5 seconds.

6. 6

   Add ginger paste: Add ginger paste. Cook 30 seconds — no garlic is used.

7. 7

   Add red chilli powder: Turn low. Add red chilli powder. Stir 15 seconds.

8. 8

   Pour tempering: Pour the entire ghee tempering into the dal-brinjal preparation.

9. 9

   Simmer 3 minutes: Cook together briefly. Stir.

10. 10

    Serve: Scatter coriander. Serve with roti. Simple, straightforward and complete without complexity.

11. 11

    Note: Anandpur Sahib — the city in the Shivalik foothills of Punjab where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699 — is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism. The langar here operates continuously and the food served follows a simple, sattvic philosophy: basic, wholesome preparations that feed all visitors equally. The deliberate simplicity of langar food — dal with one vegetable, roti, occasionally kheer — represents the Sikh principle of equality expressed through food.