Chori Ane Sengdana nu Dal (Cowpea-Peanut Dal)

I was in the mood for beans tonight. I felt like some sort of small whole legume would go well: mung beans, mapte beans, cowpeas, moth beans, etc. In the end I settled on this cowpea dal. It takes a while to cook but is quite straightforward to make. And I enjoyed the sweet, sour, and spicy aspects of it. It doesn't need much to round it out to a full meal. I served it with a simple carrot curry and some rice and paratha. If you wanted to dress it up a bit, I think sonth (tamarind-date chutney) would complement and accentuate the flavours. But I really liked it just as it was honestly.

Chori Ane Sengdana nu Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. red cowpeas (chori/sabud chowli/adzuki beans)
• 4 c. water
• 6 pieces dried black kokum
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted roasted peanuts
• 1 Tbsp. jaggery
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. ground asafetia
• 2-3 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 12-15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 2-4 fresh green Thai chilies, halved lengthwise

Directions

1. Rinse the beans thoroughly, then add hot water to cover and set aside for 1-2 hours.
2. Drain the beans, return to pot, add water, and bring to a boil.
3. Skim off any foam, add kokum, reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~20 minutes.
4. Add peanuts, jaggery, salt, turmeric, and asafetida, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp. of ghee over medium-high heat.
6. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for ~10 seconds.
7. Stir in ginger paste and cook for ~1 minute.
8. Toss in curry leaves and chilies, stir once or twice, remove from heat, and set aside.
9. Once beans have finished their second 20-minute cooking period, stir in the ghee and spices.
10. Cover and simmer for another 20-25 minutes.
11. If desired, stir in 1 additional Tbsp. of ghee.
12. Serve with rice.