Cluster Beans Daal

# of servings:  4
Preparation Time:  20 mins	Cook Time:  20 mins

A unique combination and a perfect balance of flavors!  With a little patience needed to clean up the ends of the cluster beans, this delectable dish can be whipped up easily and relished with a variety of breads or rice.  Be sure not to skip any of the ingredients as each of them adds to the end result.

Ingredients:

• Green gram daal - 1 cup
• Cluster beans - 1 cup
• Tomatoes - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 large
• Garlic - 6 pods
• Green chili paste - 1 tsp
• Salt
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Turmeric root - 1 inch (or) turmeric powder - 0.5 tsp
• Grated coconut - 0.5 cup
• Lemon - 1 (Zest - optional)
• Coriander leaves -  fistful
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 2 pinches

Method:

• Cut the ends of the cluster beans and chop them to the desired length
• Chop the tomatoes, onions, garlic and coriander leaves
• Dry roast the green gram daal till it turns aromatic and pinkish; set it aside 
• Zest the lemon (if using) and squeeze the lemon juice
• Take a little oil in a pressure cooker vessel and season with mustard seeds and asafoetida ('Saute' mode in IP) 
• Add chopped garlic and saute
• Add onions and saute well
• Add the green chili paste and saute
• Add the chopped cluster beans and saute till they change color slightly
• Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well
• When they are heated, add the roasted daal, salt and mix well
• In a cup of water, run the ginger and turmeric root (if using. If not, add the turmeric powder to the daal) in a blender
• Pour this liquid into the daal along with another cup of water
• Pressure cook well ('Pressure' mode for 4 mins in IP) 
• When done, stir well and add coconut
• Add a little more water to adjust consistency as desired and bring to a boil ('Soup' mode in IP) 
• When done, turn off head and add lemon juice, zest (if using) and coriander leaves
• Mix well and serve hot with rice, roti or chapati! 

Tips and Tricks:

• Roasting the daal first makes the daal tastier and they won't become sticky or get a pasty texture 
• The tartness of the tomatoes balances the slightly bitter taste of the cluster beans
• Running the ginger and turmeric root in the blender with water eliminates the need to grate them and incorporates the flavors better
• Turmeric root/powder adds a nice golden color to the dish
• Zest always kicks up the flavors to the next level! 

Pictures: 

Final Outcome: