Smoked Dal (adapted from Kabita's Kitchen)

In the almost four years of my blogging and speaking to my deceased father through food, the language he knew best, I have attained a great deal of peace and harmony in my life. I am almost about to complete five hundred dishes, well almost...with so many stories woven together which has made me who I am today.

Whatever I have and still do, I do with sincerity, sheer passion and dedication. I love to learn and am aware that am still learning everyday through my various experiments in the kitchen. A few are taught, some are adapted, some are shared recipes, many are my own trials and errors in my workspace with my family as the perfect guinea pigs.

Youtube videos and Google are the best spaces to experiment and learn so much from in the privacy of our own homes. So grateful that I live in such an era where there is a great deal of information overload at our finger tips. I photograph a great deal with my eyes and there is so much I have learnt with playing around with props and colours.

This particular recipe has to do with aromas and flavour. I haven't played around much with those yet. This has been adapted from Kabita's Kitchen. I love many of her recipes, more than anything I love her voice. It reminds me of the voices of the airhostesses back in the 70s and 80s when we used to travel by Air India to and fro our international journeys as children.

 I have lit my coal over my stovetop. Once it was well lit, I took it off with the tongs. One does not need such a huge piece, a small one would do

 I have prepared my dal with the usual suspects and it awaits the aromatic fumes. You may use this recipe of mine sans the radish chunks http://potsnpans-peanuts.blogspot.in/2012/05/radish-thoran-with-dal-curry-with.html

 Once the dal is cooked and the tempering is done, I have placed a small clean bowl into the dal.

 The extracted lit coal piece was then placed in that small bowl and soon a tbsp. of fresh ghee is poured over it or the coal placed over the ghee. Once the hot coal rests in the bowl, the fumes start to appear and the ghee starts to melt immediately.

 Once the coal and ghee are carefully placed, close the lid of the vessel without any delay. Do not place over a flame or light the flame. Leave it closed like so for around 20 minutes or more and open only prior to serving.

 This closed lid helps to keep the fumes or smoke created intact within the vessel. I had used the pressure cooker, hence it was in the cooker itself.

 Once you take a peek or open the lid, you will see the fumes trying to escape. These fumes from the coal with the ghee caressing it in the vessel creates this beautiful smoked aroma and flavour in your dish.

 Once done, extract the small bowl with the melted ghee and coal and take it out of the vessel. You no longer require that as it has done its job.

I think one can smoke rice and chicken in a similar manner. I haven't tried it yet but will keep you posted as and when I do. Here is your smoked dal!