Cranberry Daal(Quick & Easy)

Today being a very special day to all the women around the world,I wish all women A Very Happy Women's Day.Here is a poem that I liked "Celebrating Women's Day" by Mamta Agarwal and thought you would like it too.Read it with interest , it is lengthy but very true.To all the women out there for a good health and a lot more patience and many more successes in life , I dedicate my recipe of the day "Cranberry Daal".

This is an other yummy,healthy recipe for a simple and easy daal.In this recipe we are using  berries---Yes! Cranberries.Berries in Lentils.........?Sounds crazy again right ? No ,you are wrong.This sure is a great combination of fruit and legumes resulting in a very appealing ,heart-healthy dish.I have been cooking with this lovely red berries for the past 7 years in many different ways.These berries have a tart acidic taste , that gives the legumes/daal the perfect flavor.

This is one more favorite dish of my family.Let's get cooking--------------

Main Ingredients :

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Toor Daal....................1cup

Cranberries..................1/2cup

Water...........................3cups

Green Chillies...............3

Seasoning Ingredients :

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Red Chilly.......................1

Chilly Powder.................1/2tsp

Cumin Seeds...................1tsp

Mustard Seeds................1tsp

Asafoetida......................1/4tsp

Turmeric.........................1/2tsp

Salt.................................to taste

Curry Leaves..................1sprig

Oil/Ghee.........................2tsp

Garnish :
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Cilantro.................few leaves

Preparation :

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Rinse well and soak the toor daal for 15 minutes.After soaking drain the water and add 3 cups of fresh water to the daal.

Rinse the cranberries well and cut them into halves and add them to the  bowl of daal.Also take 3 chillies cut them into halves and add them to the daal.

Now add turmeric and salt to the cranberry and daal mixture and place this vessel in the pressure cooker and cook for 6 whistles.Turn off the stove and let pressure in the cooker cool down.

In a pan add ghee/oil and add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,asafoetida and red chillies and wait for them to splutter.

Once the seasoning is ready,switch off the stove and add chilly powder to the seasoning.

Now put some cleaned curry leaves in the cranberry daal and pour the seasoning over it and give a nice stir to the entire mix and cook the daal on the stove for 5 more minutes so that the seasoning flavors the daal and switch it off.Garnish with cilantro.

Now the daal is ready to serve with hot rice,rotis and chapatis.Enjoy the healthy Cranberry Daal.

Note :
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1)Please do not add any tamarind to this daal as the cranberries themselves are sour enough.

2)If you make this daal in the afternoon and eat it in the evening,daal will get more tangy and sour taste.

3)If you want to add garlic to the seasoning omit the use of asafoetida.I feel that asafoetida gives much better taste to this recipe.

I am sending this Cranberry Daal to Nithu Bala's "Think Beyond the Usual - Fruits" event.