Thotakura / Amaranth Dal

Learnt from: My Mom

Serving for: 4-5 people

Ingredients:

Amaranth / Thotakura --- 1 medium size bunch
Toor dal --- ½ cup (80 ml)
Turmeric powder --- a pinch
Green chilies --- 5
Onion --- ¼ of the big one
Tomato --- 1
Tamarind --- 5 strands
Water --- 240 ml ( 1 ½ rice cooker cup) (3 times to the dal)
Salt --- to taste

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 1 tblsn
Garlic --- 3 cloves
Urad dal --- 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds --- 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds --- ½ tsp
Dry Red Chilly --- 1 chopped
Curry Leaves --- 5-6 leaves

Process:

In a pressure cooker add ½ cup (rice cooker cup) of toordal.
Clean the dal twice with water. Add 3 times of water (1 ½ cup) to the dal.
Add a pinch of turmeric powder to the dal.



Chop 5 green chilies. Add them to the dal.


Chop ¼ of big onion. Add them to the dal.


Chop a tomato. Add them to the dal.


Take a amaranth stalk. Pluck it till it is tender.

Do all the same for all the remaining stalks.
Hold all the stalks together with you left hand. Chop them.

Clean the leaves. Add them to the dal.

Add 4 strands of tamarind to the cooker.


Cover it with the lid.
Keep it for 8 whistles.
Wait till the pressure goes off… which takes around 15-20 minutes.
Remove the lid of the pressure cooker.
Mash the dal with a big ladle or with masther.
Add enough salt to it.
In the meanwhile, Chop 3 garlic cloves. Keep them aside.
In a seasoning pan… Heat a tblsn of oil. Add and toast chopped garlic, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilly and curry leaves.
Add this seasoning to the dal. Mix it well.
Transfer the dal from cooker to a serving bowl.
Have it with rice or with Chapathi.