Dim-Daal ( Boiled eggs cooked in spiced Lentil)

Rice, lentil and fish is often considered as the ideal Bengali daily staple food. We all have grown old with that and precisely why I have never really thought that I could ever go ga ga over a lentil preparation! 

This recipe is from the other half of Bengal, which is known as East Bengal or Bangladesh, and when it comes to the art of food, Indian part of Bengal (West Bengal) is considered to be far behind. 

So, last Monday, it was a friend's birthday, and after reaching at his place, my curiosity took me to the kitchen (obviously!) and there i found something interesting. It was "dim-daal ", which is basically boiled eggs cooked in spiced lentil. It tasted so delicious that I had to get the recipe from Nina Nandi aunty. 

If you love bong food, you can definitely try this at home. My husband is not fond of lentils, even asked for it twice. In case, you have someone in your home who doesn't like lentil, will like it. 

Ingredients-

• 1 and 1/2 cups Moong Daal
• 6 Boiled eggs (peeled and cut in 2 pieces)
• 2 tbsp Onion paste
• 2 tsp Garlic paste
• 2 small tomatoes (chopped or pureed)
• 2,3 sticks of cinnamon
• 2,3 small cardamom
• 4 green chillies 
• 2 tsp Ginger paste
• salt
• Sugar
• Ghee
• Mustard oil
• water

Method-

• Wash the Moong daal and let it dry for half an hour. Then dry fry it till it becomes light brownish. 
• Grind the cinnamon and cardamom
• In a cooker, boil the fried moong daal with water and salt. Keep it aside.
• In a kadai, heat some mustard oil. Add green chillies . Fry half of the onion, garlic and ginger paste. Add the boiled and cut eggs in it. Mix and fry well. Once mixed and fried well, keep the eggs aside.
• Add some ghee in the kadahi and add the remaining onion, garlic, ginger paste. Add the tomato puree and remaining green chillies. Add the cinnamon and cardamom mixture.
• Now add the boiled Moong daal and cover the lid. Add salt and sugar. Once it is cooked, add the boiled eggs and cook for 5-6 minutes more. 
• Garnish it with chopped chilly, coriander and little bit of ghee.
• Serve with rice or roti.