Egg Mutton Tadka dal ~ Bengali Whole Moong Dal with Mutton Keema and Scrambled Eggs

We Bengalis love ruti - torka. The closest we we could get to escape the regular homemade food. Although Punjabi in origin, we have embraced tadka dal as if it's one of our own, like its a distant cousin of our very own mangsho - bhat. The Punjabi Dhabas on the streets of North Kolkata sells the cheapest tadka dal in India, with thr roti of your choice and crunchy red onions and green chillies, it used to be one of the wickedly tongue tickling and affordable take out for us. During winter the frequency just used to increase...Tadka dal with Tandoori or Rumali Roti. There is a Punjabi Dhaba near our house in Baghbazar and they sell the most delicious Tadka dal in our area. This place is more or less crowded all day and they sell almost everything from rice and fish curry to rolls and chow mein. But as soon as it is evening, the crowd starts to gather of a completely different interest. And the interest was their Torka dal..different types of torka / tadka dal...simple tadka dal, egg tadka dal, chicken tadka dal, mutton tadka dal, egg chicken tadka dal and egg mutton tadka dal.

They also sold simple rotis, tandoori rotis and rumali rotis. My sister was fond of rumali roti whereas I liked tandoori rotis more. They used to be hard when cold and I literally had to bite with all my force to eat them, and swallow them after that...but still I liked their smoky flavour and always told father to bring only tandoori rotis for me.

Temper the oil with whole spices and add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies.

Cook till the onions are translucent and then add the salt and sugar.

After the sugar melts add the chopped tomatoes to them.

Cook till the tomatoes start to release oil and then add the powdered spices,

Cook for 2 minutes to ward off the raw spices smell and then add the minced meat and little salt.

Cook the mutton keema / minced meat till they are well browned and the minced meat is completely cooked.

Pour in the cooked green moong and chana dal. And cook till the desired consistency is achieved.

Once the dal is thick enough add the kasuri methi and garam masala powder and cook for 2 more minutes.

Finally add the scrambled eggs and give a good stir.

Add the chopped coriander leaves in the end and put off the flame.

During my schooldays I saw the dhaba selling Tadka dal in medium sized “bhar” / a goblet shaped earthen pot, which they used to cover with a thin white sheet, secured tightly with a rubber band at the neck of the "bhar". But with time they also became advanced and now they sell the tadka dal or torka dal, as we say it, in small boxes made of aluminium foil. But still they pack the rotis with a thin newspaper sheet and all of them are placed nicely inside a plastic bag. They also pack a peeled onion (halved) and 2or 3 whole green chillies with them i.e  tadka dal and roti...which I have to say is a must. The necessary crunch and hotness from the chillies is all you need to enjoy the ruti – torka dal in the most happening way you can ever imagine.

 This recipe is my take on my favourite mutton egg tadka dal. Although the curry base is almost the same as the other and basic recipe...its the garam masala powder that plays a crucial role in this dish. I make my own garam masala in my home, and in it apart from adding cinnamon stick, cloves ad green cardamoms, I add black cardamom, caraway seeds, nutmeg, mace, black peppercorns and a little star anise. Dry roast them and then grind them to a fine powder. Also when buying minced meat pay attention and make sure there is enough fat in it, which also works towards increasing the richness and taste of the mutton keema torka / tadka da.

Egg Mutton Keema Torka Dal

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

2 and ½ cups of Green Gram / Whole Moong Dal

A handful of chana dal / cholar dal

1 large onion – chopped

1 medium tomato – chopped

1 inch stick of ginger – minced

6-8 garlic cloves – minced

2 tsp crushed kasuri methi

1 tsp turmeric powder

3-4 tsp red chilli powder

1 and ½ tsp cumin powder

1 and ½ tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

2 tsp whole cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

3-4 green chillies – chopped

A handful of fresh coriander leaves – chopped

3 large eggs

1 cup minced lamb / goat meat

3 tbsp oil

Method:

Wash and soak the moong dal and chana dal together in water overnight. It is necessary that the lentils become very soft before cooking, unless they will not give that creamy sticky consistency of the tadka / torka dal.

After soaking add 4-5 cups of water to them and put everything in a pressure cooker. Add little salt and cook the dal / lentils on pressure till the cooker blows 5-6 whistles.

After that let the cooker release its steam naturally and then open the cover.

Put the flame on low and start to simmer the boiled mung dal until the water reduces to half. Once done, keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and add in the cumin seeds and bay leaf.

Sauté for 10-12 seconds and then add in the chopped onions and chopped green chillies.

Sauté and cook the onions on medium flame till they become translucent and a little reddish.

Sprinkle some salt and sugar over them and sauté till the sugar melts.

Now add the minced ginger and garlic and cook till the raw garlic flavour is gone. It will not take more than 2 minutes.

At this point add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they become mushy and they start to release oil from them.

Then add a dash of water and add in the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.

Mix in and cook for 2 minutes or until the raw flavour of the spices are gone.

Next add the minced mutton the curry. Sprinkle some salt over them and cook till the mutton keema is well browned and cooked completely. If the keema / minced mutton start to stick to the bottom of the pan / kadai, add a little oil / water to continue the cooking.

When the mutton keema is completely cooked, pour in the cooked mung dal with its reduced water.

Give a good stir to mix everything and put cover. Cook covered for 3-4 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated giving the tadka / torka  dal a sticky thick consistency.

In the mean time, break the eggs in a bowl and whisk with some salt.

In a separate pan heat some oil and pour in the whisked eggs. Cook for 1 minute and as the eggs start to stiffen up scramble them up into small pieces.

Take these scrambled eggs and add them to the cooked tadka dal.

Also add in the kasuri methi and garam masala powder.

Stir them in and then taste and adjust the seasonings.

Finally put off the flame and prinkle the chopped fresh coriander leaves over the dal.

Serve hot with roti / chapatti / paratha / rumali roti / naan, with some chopped onion, green chillies and lime wedges.