Cumin Spiced Lentils ~ Goan Style - Varan & Plagiarism

A simple comfort meal - Varan Bhaat. Sampling morsels of food and taking in portions of this pliable dish transports me to a different planet. There are many versions available of this dish. The Marathi version of Varan does not have coconut added hence very subtle flavours. The Goan version of Varan, also known as Varna in Goa, has a liberal helping of coconut and spice paste added. If a lunch menu is on the cards specially for a bright summer afternoon, then Varan Bhaat takes a default presence on the menu. I love the yellow, creamy texture of the lentils. My preference is scoops of cooked white rice, ladle full of Varan, some freshly squeezed lime juice and a spoon of ghee to finish the serve. No wonder its a complete comfort meal for many a foodie's around the globe.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 3/4 cup

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Green Chillies - 2

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida - 2-3 pinches

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon

Lime Juice

Oil/Ghee

Salt

Method:

Pressure cook Toor Dal with Turmeric powder and Asafoetida. Allow to cool. Mash the mushy paste and keep aside. Grind grated coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds (1 tsp) to a fine paste with little water. Add this paste to the cooked Daal and bring to boil. For seasoning, heat ghee in a separate pan, and heat a teaspoon of ghee, add cumin seeds and once they pop, pour this seasoning on the Daal. Serve hot with warm rice, some lime juice and ghee (optional).

*******************************************************************

PLAGIARISM

A friend of mine sent me a link of a fellow blogger who has picked a picture from my blog for one of the recipes posted on the concerned website. I have e-mailed the concerned individual involved. It is a disappointing event when pictures, text are copied word to word from your blog and posted elsewhere without a note of credit or gratitude. All this certainly saps off the fun of blogging. I hope the concerned individual makes a note of it and takes off the picture from the blog site. I for one, take plagiarism seriously especially when its your hard work which is being used without passing through appropriate channels of permission.