Mango Daal (Aambat Daal)

A bag of cut green Mangoes lying in the freezer compelled me to take a trip down the memory lane and grab a few bites of one of the gooey, creamy, tart and tangy flavoured Daal combination - Mango Daal or Aambat Daal. I made this for an afternoon lunch couple of days back and boy! I love the flavour. Chunks of pieces of raw mango cooked in Toor Dal with a little help of heat in form of seasonings - Garlic, Cumin, Mustard seeds and the good old Red Chilli - Byadgi Mirchi sourced from Bangalore Market.

I first sampled this Daal at my friend C's place for a lunch party many years ago. Knowing that C has a dexterous hand in terms of dishing out delicious lunches and dinners with lot of seasonal vegetables and flavours, I knew I would love what she makes. A deft hand, plenty of simplicity and loads of subtle flavours thrown in, she took me by surprise. I loved the Mango Daal recipe and can't thank her enough for sharing it. C calls this Aambat Daal - Aambat signifying tangy flavour in Marathi language. Years later, I tried cooking this in India and loved dishing this for a summer afternoon lunch. Mangoes are in season now; I had a bag of frozen green cut Mangoes, so thought of using this to sink in the summer cool flavours. The consistency of this Daal is thick, with different flavours mixing in. Sometimes when I crave for the tangy kick in my food, this Daal certainly vows to please my taste buds.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Green Mangoes (Fresh or Frozen) - 3/4 cup
Onions (chopped) - 1/3 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - as per taste

Seasoning -
Garlic pods (chopped) - 1
Mustard seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
Oil - For treating the seasoning
Curry leaves (optional) - 2-4 leaves

Method:
Wash Toor Dal multiple times till water is clear. Wash raw green mangoes with skin and chop them into 1" chunks. I have retained the skin of Mangoes for nutritional value, retain or discard as per choice. Pressure cook both with onions (chopped), turmeric and red chilli powder. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. I prefer them extra mushy so went for 4 whistles. Allow to cool and mash the Daal to a thick consistency. Add salt and adjust consistency with water as per thickness desired.
Heat few teaspoons of oil in a separate pan on a low-to-medium flame. Once heated up, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once they pop add red chillies split into two and curry leaves. Add chopped garlic and saute till they are brown. Pour this seasoning on the Daal and mix well. Serve hot with warm rice, ghee and some Vodee/ Vadams/ Crispies on the side.