Fresh veggies, herbs and nutty lentils are used to get the simple, healthy, flavorful, adaptable vegan curry dish - chick pea dahl. It is a traditional Gujarati dish where chana dal is simmered in summer glut of courgettes. The dish is made up of fibrous vegetable and lentils that form a medley of wonderful flavours. It can be eaten as one of the main dishes.
Ghea has a delicate flavour, it is a nutritious high in fibre, and spongy summer vegetable that’s 96% water, and chana dal (or garbanzo beans) has the earthy, nutty taste.
Both the ingredients absorb the flavours of the spices to give a tangy or spicy flavor.
Basic information
Chana dal is good for diabetic patients because it has a low glycemic index and is rich in protein, zinc, and fibre.
Bottle gourd has many medicinal properties. It is high in fibre and helps cure acidity, indigestion, and constipation. It has many names lauki, bottle gourd, dudhi, long melon, white-flowered gourd, Tasmania bean and New Guinea bean. This is a comforting mild watery everyday veggie adapted to suit a vegan diet.
Many Indian lentil recipes like Dal Makhani, Rajma Masala or Punjabi Lobia Masala are pressure cooked because the lentils take much time to soften. To make the curry smooth, the garbanzo beans should be soaked overnight in water.
Several Indian restaurants serve spicy, tangy curries made up of bottle gourd and chickpeas (chole) or bottle gourd and dried brown split and skinned Bengal gram (or garbanzo beans). Both versions are prepared with similar ingredients like cumin seeds, turmeric powder, spices, chopped onions, garlic and ginger paste. The dish has extremely versatile but mild taste. The dish may appear reddish brown due to the presence of tomatoes and Kashmiri lal mirch (chillies), nevertheless, it is often sizzled with extra green chillies before serving to get extra spicy flavour.
Homemade Chana Dal with Ghea
At home, one can make the dish by boiling bottle guard and garbanzo beans in a pressure cooker (or in an open pan), to soften the lentils and the vegetable. It is then sautéed in tomato, ginger, garlic, onion and garam masala paste to get a soupy curry. Zucchini can be used in place of bottle guard (if not available).
It is eaten with rice, jeera rice, chapati (roti) or paratha.
It is served with a garnishing of cilantro. To add extra flavours, one can have some lime pickle and dollop of cold coconut yoghurt with the curry.