Sindhi KadiI

This tangy curry is traditionally made by the Sindhi community from Northern India. Serve it with a long-grained, fragrant rice like Basmati. Since it's full of vegetables and made with tomatoes and gram flour, it's also nutritious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Toor/ Tuvar Daal (split yellow pigeon peas)
• 8-10 large tomatoes sliced thick
• 3 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 green chillies slit lengthwise
• 1/4 tsp asafetida powder
• 3 tbsps bengal gram flour (besan)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup baby okra (whole or with tops and tails trimmed)
• 1 cup beans cut into 2" pieces
• 1 cup carrot cut into thick slices
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Soak the Toor/ Tuvar Daal in hot water for 1 hour.
• Boil the Daal in a pressure cooker with water and the tomatoes till done. To do this, once you have closed the pressure cooker cook on a high flame till you hear the first whistle (pressure release). Now reduce the flame to a simmer and cook till you hear 2 more whistles. Turn off the fire.
• Whisk the Daal and add hot water (if necessary) till you get a smooth, soup-like consistency.
• Heat the oil in a pan on a medium flame. Add the cumin and fenugreek seeds, green chillies and asafetida. Cook till the spluttering stops.
• Now add the gram flour. Cook till the raw aroma of the gram flour is gone - it will turn pale brown.
• Now add the red chilli powder and turmeric powder and turn off the flame.
• Add this mix to the Daal. Season with salt to taste.
• Add the vegetables and cook till done.
• Serve piping hot with a long-grained, fragrant rice like Basmati and Poppadums (papad).