Mung Dal happens to be an essential staple food in Bengali Cuisine. Naturally being a Bengali I love to cook different veg and non-veg (even with fish head) preparations with mung dal. Today I am sharing such a mung dal recipe, ‘Sobji Dal’, which I learned from my mother. ‘Sobji’ means vegetables and ‘Dal’ means lentils. The dish is a wonderful combination of mung dal and winter vegetables. Nutrition of dal will enhance few folds with the goodness of veggies. This is such a comfort food for winter. Try this recipe at your kitchen and give me a feedback.

Also try Palak Dal (Mung dal with Spinach) & Mung Dal with Cauliflower & Potato from my blog.

Ingredients to serve 4 :

1. Mung Dal – 1/2 cup
2. Fresh Spinach – 1/4 of a bunch (or 1 cup chopped)
3. Carrot – 1
4. Green Beans – 6-7
5. Potato – 1
6. Cauliflower – 4-5 large florets
7. Fresh Green Peas – 12-15
8. Green chilli – 2-3
9. Ginger – 1 inch piece
10. Tomato – 1 small
11. Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
12. Bay leaf – 1 large
13. Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
14. Salt & sugar to taste
15. Mustard oil – 4 tbspoon
16. Ghee (melted) – 1/2 tbspoon
17. Garam masala powder – 1/4 teaspoon
18. Water – 3 cups

Procedure :

1. At first dry roast mung dal till golden brown. Transfer roasted dal in a bowl, cool for a while and then wash 2-3 times. Then keep the dal aside.
2. Roughly chop the spinach after cleaning it properly.
3. Cut carrot, green beans and potatoes into small pieces.
4. Break large cauliflower florets into smaller one.
5. Peel the green peas.
6. Chop the tomato and grate the ginger.
7. Now heat mustard oil in a pressure cooker over medium flame.
8. Then add cumin seeds, bay leaf and green chillies into the oil.
9. Now add potato, carrot, green beans and cauliflower into the oil. Fry the vegetables for 2-3 minutes.
10. Also add turmeric powder while frying the vegetables.
11. Then add spinach and cook for couple of minutes.
12. Now add chopped tomato and grated ginger and cook till tomato softens.
13. After that add ghee and roasted mung dal. Again fry the dal with the vegetables for a while.
14. Now add 3 cups of water, salt and sugar.
15. As the water comes to boil, put the lid of the pressure cooker.
16. Now let the dal cook up to 4 whistles on medium flame.
17. After that put the flame off and let the pressure go down.
18. Finally remove the lid of the cooker and sprinkle over the garam masala powder.
19. Serve with rice or roti.