Uttarakhand Phaanu Mixed Lentil Mountain One Pot

Method

1. 1

   Soak the hard lentils: Wash horse gram and whole black gram and soak overnight separately in 2 cups water each. These two lentils need soaking — toor and masoor do not.

2. 2

   Pressure cook all together: Drain soaked horse gram and whole black gram. Combine with washed toor dal and masoor dal in a pressure cooker. Add 4 cups water and turmeric. Cook on high for first whistle then medium for 12 to 15 whistles — the horse gram needs this extended time.

3. 3

   Open and check: The horse gram may still have some firmness — if so, add 1/2 cup more water and cook 5 more whistles. All lentils must be fully soft.

4. 4

   Mash together: Stir vigorously and mash the cooked lentils together. The mixture of different textures will produce a thick, complex-tasting single dal mass. Add salt.

5. 5

   Heat mustard oil until smoking: Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil until smoking. Reduce to medium.

6. 6

   Fry garlic: Add crushed garlic. Fry 30 to 40 seconds until golden.

7. 7

   Add cumin, dried chilli and asafoetida: Crackle cumin seeds. Add dried red chilli and asafoetida. Stir 15 seconds.

8. 8

   Add ginger and coriander powder: Add ginger paste — stir 1 minute. Turn low. Add coriander powder — stir 1 minute.

9. 9

   Combine and simmer: Pour the thick mixed lentil dal into the tempering pot. Stir well. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

10. 10

    Serve with ghee: Ladle into bowls. Add a knob of ghee on top. Serve with mandua roti.

11. 11

    Note: Phaanu is the winter one-pot dal of the high Garhwali villages — made from whatever dried lentils are available in the mountain household's winter stores. The combination of horse gram, black gram, toor and masoor creates a complexity of flavour greater than any single lentil could produce. Made during the long winter months when fresh vegetables are unavailable at altitude, phaanu provides sustaining warmth and complete protein from its multiple lentil combinations.