Sindhis are an ethnic group of people that hailed from Sindh (a province in present day Pakistan). During the partition of India and Pakistan, many Hindu and Sikh Sindhis chose to settle down in different regions of India in hopes of starting a new life. One of the largest Sindhi communities in India is in the city of Mumbai.
My mom who is a Sindhi grew up in Mumbai. During my childhood days in India, I spent every summer vacation in Mumbai. My mom’s side of the family all lives there, and summer would be the only time that we would get to visit them. Once school was out my mom would pack our bags and take my brothers and I on a two day train journey to Mumbai. We use to have so much fun on the train playing games, getting off at different stations to try exciting snacks, and just spending time with each other. After a long journey, we would finally reach Mumbai and would always go straight to our nani’s (my maternal grandmother) house to enjoy a delicious Sindhi vegetarian feast.
Sindhi cuisine is very distinct (in my opinion) from other cuisines of India. Sindhi food is not overly spiced, it is quite simple, it is a little sour, and at times sweet. I am only familiar with vegetarian Sindhi cuisine because my nani is a vegetarian and so my mom only learnt vegetarian dishes. I grew up enjoying Sindhi delicacies such as Seyal maani (Indian flatbread cooked in a Sindhi style green pesto), Saibhaji(vegetarian curry made of lentils, various healthy greens, and vegetables), Sindhi Khatti Dal and so much more.
Sindhi Khatti Dal is made using toor dal (pigeon peas) which is first soaked and then pressure cooked till it’s of a mushy consistency. The well-cooked dal is blended into a smooth paste and then simmered with tomatoes, ginger, curry leaves and green chili. Tamarind paste is added to give a lovely sour taste and tempered spices such as fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds are added at the end to complete the dish.
This recipe is my mom’s way of making Sindhi Khatti Dal and I absolute adore it. This dal is very thin in consistency and is best enjoyed with some hot rice. At my nani house Sindhi Khatti Dal was always served along with rice, sweet boondi (little fried balls made of sweetened chickpea flour), and papad (crunchy lentil crackers).
I hope to share more Sindhi recipes with you in the future, but for now I do hope you give this recipe a try.
If you enjoy Indian cuisine or want to try it out, give these recipes a go: Mom’s simple chicken curry, upma, palak paneer, chickpea stew, egg curry, and aloo keema.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recipes, please subscribe to my free newsletter, so you never miss a recipe. Please follow me on Instagram or Pinterest. . If you make this recipe, I would love to know! Tag me on Instagram@cookeatlaugh and #cookeatlaughblog.
| Prep Time | 2hrs 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time | 2 hours |
| Servings |
people
|
- 1 cup Toor dal/pigeon peas soaked in water for two hours
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 tomato finely chopped
- 1 green chili cut in half length wise
- 1 heap tsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp. vegetable oil
- 1½ tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
- A fistful of chopped cilantro more for garnishing
- Salt to taste
Ingredients
|
|
- Wash and boil the dal with a pinch of salt, turmeric, chili powder and 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker. The dal should be well done, it will take about 4 whistles to cook the dal.
- Once the pressure has released, use a wooden churner or a hand mixer to blend the dal till it's nice and smooth. The dal should be of thin consistency, so if your dal is too thick just add a little water. Simmer the dal on medium high heat and add chopped tomatoes, ginger, green chili, curry leaves, chopped cilantro, and tamarind paste. Give the dal a good mix and let it simmer.
- While the dal is simmering, heat a small pan on medium high heat and add a tsp. of oil. Once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds to it. Let the spices splutter and then gently add it to the dal.
- Season the dal with salt and lower the heat. Let the dal simmer for 10 minutes, so all the flavor can come together. Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot rice.
Leave a Reply