Panchratna Ri Dal recipe from Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar

Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar’s ‘Five lentils’ recipe, takes me back to the days spent in Jodhpur and Jaipur as a house guest. That’s how I got to sample a lot of the Rajasthani fare, which I can roughly put down to oil, chilly and besan (gramflour). It was amazing to find these ingredients in so many of the delicious meals that were served piping hot.

The Panchratna daal here reminds me of the bajra khichri eaten for breakfast in Jodhpur. Bajra and moth daal simmered in milk over a wood fire all night and served with dollops of white butter for breakfast, with nothing more than salt for a flavouring! It melted in the mouth…

Now for the dal recipe shared by Maharana in The Times of India:

Panchratna ri daal, Five Lentils (Serves 4 )

30g Urad dal
30g Tur dal
30g Chana dal
30g Moong dal
30g Moath dal
2 Green chillies
2 Whole red chillies, broken into pieces
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Garam masala
6 cloves
6-7 small Cardamoms
½ tsp Heeng (Asafoetida)
50g Ghee (clarified butter)
Salt to taste

Soak all the five lentils in water for four hours. Cook all the dals in an open vessel or a degchi. The dals acquire a special flavour when cooked in a degchi, quite different from when they are pressure cooked. This needs to be simmered for a long time. When the lentils are cooked, heat ¼ cup clarified butter in another degchi-vessel. Add cumin, asafoetida, cloves and cardamoms. When the cumin crackles, add a little water and red chilli. Now add the lentil mix and stir for two minutes. Let the lentils cook for another 10 minutes. Add garam masala, check the seasoning and serve hot with fresh coriander leaves and slit green chillies as garnish.