Maharashtrian
Raw Mango Dal (Kairi Ki Dal)
- Duration: 25 minutes
- Serves: 2 to 4 people
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Spice Level: Medium
Authenticity Slice
Pick the mangoes for this dish very carefully. The sweet and sour variety, the ones that haven’t yet turned pulpy, are the best for this dal. Maharashtrians prefer to use the famous Alphonso, but you can use any of the mango varieties available in the market.
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Trivia Tadka
Maharashtrians like to celebrate the initial mango months by using pieces of raw mangoes, particularly of the Alphonso, to make a tasty and healthy lentil dish called Kairi Ki Dal. This khatti dal is not just popular among the Maharashtrians. It has found its way into Gujarati and even many north Indian kitchens, thanks to an unmatched flavour and taste. A variant of this dish was born in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, and has since become a hot-selling item in the region.
Ingredients
- Raw mango, cut into ½-inch cubes (1 cup)
- Split pigeon peas (arhar dal) (1 cup)
- Oil (3 tsp)
- Small (sambar) onion (5 to 6)
- Ghee (2 tsp)
- Yellow mustard seeds (sarson) (½ tsp)
- Cumin seeds (jeera) (½ tsp)
- Garlic (lahsun) pods, peeled and sliced (4)
- Dry red chillies (sabut lal mirch), broken (4)
- Onion, diced (2)
- Curry leaves (kadipatta) (5 to 6)
- Salt (to taste)
Method
- Wash and then boil the arhar dal in a vessel using 3 cups of water.
- Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add in the sambar onions and sauté till they turn pink.
- Next, add this to the boiling dal and continue to cook.
- Heat the remaining oil in another pan.
- Add in the ghee and when it has melted, toss in the sarson, jeera and garlic.
- Then, add the kadipatta and sauté till the onions have turned brown.
- Next, put in the raw mango cubes and continue to sauté.
- Add salt and let the mango pieces soften. Next, put in the dal and mix well.
- Adjust the salt content, cover and cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
- Serve hot with rotis.
