Name: Unripe Mango with Pigeon Peas (Khatte Aam Toor Ki Dal)
Yield: Makes 4 cups
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, ground; 6 green or white cardamom pods; 1 cup oily or unoily skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal), picked over for stones; 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; 1 medium-size rock-firm unripe mango, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (see box); ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 tablespoons Ghee or canola oil; ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 3 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2½ inches long, 1 inch wide, and ⅛ inch thick), cut into matchstick-thin strips (julienne); 1 small red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced; 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon left whole, 1 teaspoon ground; 8 to 10 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise, each half cut into long, thin strips (do not remove the seeds)

Preparation info

Makes
4 cups

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

My dear friend R. J., more affectionately called Molu, remembers this dal from his boyhood days at a boarding school in Dehradun, a city nestled in the Himalayas. Proud agricultural center for world-renowned basmati rice, green and black tea, and sweetly succulent lychee fruit, it is no wonder that this mountain resort became a mecca for the British rulers during the oppressive summer months. I especially enjoy the flavors in this dish, made sweet-tart by stewing unripe mango with pigeon pe