Umtti/Maharashtrian dal

Umtti is the Maharashtrian version of the famous Indian dal. It has a tangy flavor and unlike regular dals is a bit watery. Serve it hot with rice, pickle & papad & a hearty home meal is ready. At home in India it’s made every single day!

One version of Umtti uses the marathi goda masala, another one uses tomatoes& kale tikhat, yet another has tamarind & jaggery & so on. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say every home has its own version of dal in India!

This recipe is how we make umtti at home. This is the daily dal we have everyday in our home & the recipes is from my mother I have been making it for 2-3 years but I still miss my mother’s version. She uses the same ingredients & same method but I miss her personal touch to it.

Ingredients:

1 cup pressure cooked toor dal

A pinch of Asafoetida (hing)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp mustard

1 tsp red chili powder/ kale tikhat

2- 3 curry leaves

1/4 tsp meethi seeds

3 garlic cloves roughly crushed

1 cup tomato puree

1/2 tsp tamarind pulp

1tsp chopped coriander

2 tsp grated coconut

1 small piece of jaggery

1 tsp ghee

Salt to taste

Procedure

• Heat ghee in a pan, add mustard, cumin, methi seeds let them splutter.
• Add curry leaves fry for 30 sec, now add the crushed garlic & fry for 30 more sec.
• Add the tomato puree & tamarind pulp, put on a lid & cook for 1 minute.
• Now add the cooked toor dal, hing, turmeric powder, chili powder , jaggery & salt.
• Add 1/2 cup of water .
  
• Let it come to a boil, add the grated coconut & coriander & cook for few more minutes.
• Umtti is ready to be served with rice! Pour a spoon of ghee on top of the rice!

If you like drumstick’s(shevgyachya shenga as we call them) you can add them as well & make shevgyachi umtti !

Here's what i do to make it all a simple easy process- i cook dal by adding hing, roughly chopped tomatoes, turmeric ,water put them together in the pressure cooker & takes 3 whistles & mashes it all together by a wooden whisk called ravi .So onces the phodni(tadka )is done i add this dal mixture to it then add tamrind pulp, jaggery & continue as above !