Parsi Chicken/Mutton Dhansak

Hello All,

Parsi Dhansak is religiously made in almost every Parsi household for Sunday lunch. This is primarily made of Chicken/Mutton cooked in Dal and eaten with flavored rice. Do leave your precious comments once you've made it in your kitchen.

Dhansak Dal:

Serves 4-5 people.

Ingredients:

500 gms chicken or mutton

5 small cups Toor dal (washed and soaked for 2-3 hours)

200 gms pumpkin

200 gms brinjal

2 bunches of small methi (you can also use a spoonful of kasuri methi in place of fresh methi)

2 medium onions finely chopped

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Parsi Dhana-Jeeru powder

1 tsp Red Chilli powder

4 tsp Parsi Dhansak Masala powder

1 tsp Garam Masala Powder

Oil for frying onions

Salt as required

Method:

Cut the pumpkin and brinjal into small pieces.

Put the dal in the cooker. Add the pumpkin, brinjal, methi & haldi to this and let it cook for 1 whistle (in direct pressure pan). Keep on low flame for 10 minutes and switch off flame. Blend the dal with a cooking spoon or using a blender (I use a cooking spoon and it blends best while it is still hot).

Boil the chicken/mutton in a separate vessel and make sure there is enough stock left after the meat is cooked.

Heat oil in a vessel and fry onions till golden brown. Now add the red chilli powder, dhana-jeeru powder, dhansak masala powder, and mix well.

Now add the blended dal to this and mix well. Add salt as per taste.

Now add the meat and the stock as per the consistency required. Let it cook on low flame for 5-10 minutes.

You can add chopped coriander to give it a finishing touch.

Dhansak Rice:

Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients:

5 medium cups rice.

1 tsp sugar

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp ghee/oil

4-5 cloves

Salt as required

Method:

Wash rice and put in a vessel.

Now add water ( the level of water should be 3-4 times that of the level of rice).

Let it come to a boil.

In the meantime, caramelize the sugar in a separate vessel (this will not make the rice sweet. It is just for getting the brown color required for rice).

Once the water has come to a boil, add salt, ghee/oil, caramelized sugar, bay leaf 

and cloves.

Let the rice cook as usual.

Serve hot with dal.