KamalKitchen

Ajwaini Panch Daal – Five lentil Mix spiced with Carom Seeds

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panch dal

I have always liked mixed lentils – be it the 10 bean or 15 bean soup mixes of dry lentils you get in any grocery store or any homegrown/made mix that’s born just to clear out the pantry. One of my cousins had a Tarla Dalal book with a recipe called ‘panchmel‘ daal, and lately even our local Indian grocery store sells a ready made blend called ‘panch daal‘ or 5 lentil mix – one more thing made easy for us to avoid more activity( to our detriment).
This recipe was born when I wanted to create something that tasted a bit different from the usual garam masala type spices that we use in Indian cuisine. Lately, I have started using one or two dominant individual spices to flavor a whole dish, instead of using blends. I feel this not only transforms everyday food to something unexpected, but also does not drown the taste of the main ingredient.

This lentil mix looks very colorful when dry, but loses all this colour when it is cooked. I use the pressure cooker to first cook this lentil mix – these are split lentils and there is no need to soak them ahead of time, and this can be ready in half an hour or under thirty minutes :). You can also use a crock pot for this, I suppose, but I have never used them so far.

The dry red chillies are available in any Indian grocery store. I use whole chillies so can get away with the high number I am using. The Ajwain is the star in this dish, giving it the spicy kick. Ajwain or carom seeds are kind of pungent and spicy, as are the leaves, widely used in India as a grandmother’s remedy for stomach aches, colds, upset stomachs etc. I chewed on them quite a bit in my college days. They can of course, be an acquired taste, but the taste has also been likened to thyme.

I am adding some sugar to make this sweetish tasting like a Gujarati daal and also to soften the punch from the Ajwain.

This panchmel daal can be eaten with hot steaming rice, or also as a thick lentil soup with some fresh crusty bread. Either way, it is sumptuous and fulfilling and will keep hunger at bay for a long time.
The recipe is as follows.

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Please note – If you are planning to store this in the fridge for more than a day or two, take care to take out the chillies. This is because the longer it stands, the chillis will gradually soften and release their heat into the daal.

You can further improve the nutritional profile of this meal by adding any vegetables of your choice to make this a vegetable-lentil type stew. I hope you like this Ajwain flavored panch daal and make it often as I do.

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Comments

  5. Ajwaini Panch Daal Sounds really good..I do make panch Daal..but adding ajwain wd be new.. By the looks of it ..its a must try..

  6. Thanks for your comment, DOlly! yes, ajwain adds a different flavour altogether, a nice change from the usual garam masala..we also use ajwain in green beans subji.

    Thanks!