dhansak

[waaza]

I am looking at Dhansak recipes and need some help to decide which are appropriate. Most use vegetables which are from the Americas, (potato, eggplant) and which reduce to a mush when cooked with the lentils/pulses/dhal. Also, some use chicken which will get tough on prolonged cooking. My question is:
what vegetables are used in Dhansak that won't fall apart?
and which is the correct meat to use, I assume it is lamb.
I know about the history of the Parsee and their Persian origins, this is just a culinary question.
cheers
Waaza
:lol:

[Dushyanthini]

Vegetables added in Dhansak :

1. Brinjal - Tomato paste
2. Potato - Cucumber paste
3. Radish - Beans paste
4. Carrot - Beetroot paste
5. Full pumpkin
6. Dhansak paste - with fish margitoul in syrup

[ushnishas]

Dear Waaza,

Dhansak is a dish made with meat, dals,vegetables and spices, and served with brown rice, kababs, and kachumbar salad.
The vegetables disintegrate into the dal, and give it a unique flavour. It can also be made with chicken, but the flavour is milder.

Here is a recipe taken from www.parsionline.com

DHANSAK

Dhansak consists of several types of lentils cooked with meat and vegetables and served with fried brown rice and kababs.

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup toover dal#
1/3 cup moong dal#
1/3 cup masoor dal#
# or 1 cup toover dal (yellow lentil) instead of the above
1/2 kg breast or leg of lamb cut into 1 inch cubes
2 medium onions, finely sliced
Make following into a Paste or use 2 teaspoons each of readymade Dhansak and Sambhar Masala with 6 garlic cloves.
6 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root.
8 dry red chilies
1 desert spoon cumin seeds
1 desert spoon coriander seeds
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
2 cardamoms, peeled
4 black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons dhana jeera powder (available in readymade pouches.
Vegetables:
1 medium brinjal (egg plant) cut into 4 pieces
100 gms piece of red pumpkin cut into 4 pieces
A few sprigs small leaved methi bhaji (spinach) optional.
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp or 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate.
1 tablespoon grated jaggery
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted ghee.
METHOD
Heat oil or ghee in a deep pan and fry onion in it till brown.
Add masala paste, tumeric powder and dhana jeera powder and cook for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes
Add meat and cook till water from meat has dried.
Add the 3 dals, brinjal, methi bhaji and mix well
Gradually add 6 cups water and salt bring to boiling point. Cover and cook on a slow fire till meat is tender. Remove pan from fire.
Soak tamarind pulp in 1/3 cup boiling water for 15 minutes, then strain liquid through a sieve pressing down hard on the tamarind pulp to extract all its juices. Discard the pulp.
Remove meat from the dal and keep aside.
Mash dal and vegetables through a colander into another pan then return meat to dal.
Add tamarind juice and jaggery to meat and dal and cook on slow fire for 10 minutes adding extra water if dal is too thick.
Before serving sprinkle over dal 1 finely sliced onion, fried brown, and 1/2 dessert spoon finely chopped fresh coriander.
Serve with Fried Brown Rice (2 cups) and kababs accompanied by kuchumbar and lemon slices.
Serves 6.

Kababs
Ingredients
1/2 minced mutton
2 medium onions, minced with meat or chopped fine.
6 garlic cloves (grind with ginger root)
2 cm piece of ginger root (grind with garlic cloves.
2/3 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 to 4 finely chopped green chillies
2 dessertspoons Worcestershire Sauce
3 medium sliced bread
1 egg
1 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
Vegetable oil or ghee for frying.
Method:
Soak bread in water for 10 minutes, remove from water and squeeze dry.
Mix together all ingredients, except bread crumbs, and oil. Cover and keep for 1 hour.
Divide mixture into 18 small balls and roll each ball in crumbs till lightly coated all over.
In a "kurhai" or deep frying pan pour enough oil or ghee for deep frying and heat to medium hot.
Gently fry the kababs in it till nicely browned.
Serve by placing over the rice in serving platter.

Fried Brown Rice
Ingredients
2 cups rice
2 onions, finely sliced
4 teaspoon sugar
2 pieces cinnamon sticks of 5 cm (2 inches) each
6 cloves
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted ghee
Method Soak rice in water for 1/2 hour.
Heat oil or ghee in a pan and fry onion in it till brown. Remove pan from fire and drain excess oil.
Put sugar in a small pan and brown it over fire till it is very dark brown.
Place pan with fried onion back on fire, drain water from rice and add to onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or more till rice is nicely fried.
Add caramel water and cook 4 or 5 minutes till rice is well blended.
Add cinnamon stick, cloves, salt and 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil, then cover, lower flame and continue cooking till water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
Sprinkle some fried onion over rice before serving.

For Kachumbar, mix sliced onion, diced cucumber and tomato, chopped green chillies and coriander leaves, lime juice, tamarind juice, a little jaggery mashed in the tamarind juice, salt, pepper, and roasted jeera powder.

This dish is absolutely delicious. It is generally cooked for Sunday lunch. Enjpy.