The summer season is almost here and it is the time when we indulge more on foods that are comforting, less spicy and easy to digest. Whenever we talk about comfort food, the first few names that come up in mind are dal-chawal, kadhi-chawal, rasam-chawal et al. But did you hear about osaman? It is basically a Gujarati dish, somewhat similar to rasam in south Indian cuisine; just that rasam is spicier than osaman. Osaman is spiced dal water, which includes the benefits of toor dal, kokum, jaggery and all that is good. The dish is a delicious combination of sweet and tangy flavours.
Also Read: Raw Mango Rasam: Welcome The Summer With This South Indian Soup
Health Benefits Of Toor Dal:
Toor dal, also known as arhar dal, makes this dish protein-rich. As per the USDA nutritional data, a 100 grams serving of toor dal has 21.7 grams of protein. Alongside, it is power-packed with several essential vitamins, minerals and dietary fibres, which promote weight loss.
Also Read:Summer Diet: Watch How To Make Raw Mango Dal (Kache Aam Ki Dal) At Home
Here's The Recipe For Osaman:
Ingredients:
Toor dal- 1 cup
Water- 2 cups
Haldi (turmeric powder)- 1 teaspoon
Ghee-2 tablespoon
Laung (cloves)- 4
Dal chini (cinnamon stick)- 1
Elaichi (cardamom)- 2-3
Rai (mustard seeds)- half teaspoon
Jeera (cumin seeds)- half teaspoon
Hing (asafoetida)- half teaspoon
Curry leaves- 2 springs
Lal Mirch (dry whole red chilli)- 2 pieces
Ginger paste- 1 teaspoon
Green chilli- 4 (slited)
Kokum- 3-4 (soaked in water)
Gur (jaggery)- 2-3 tablespoons
Black pepper powder- to taste
Salt- to taste
Coriander leaves- to garnish (chopped)
Preparation:
Wash the dal and put it in a pressure cooker with water, turmeric and salt; let it boil.
After 3 to 4 whistles, switch off the flame and strain the water of the dal. Store the water because that is what we need for the cooking.
Now, take a kadhai, pour the ghee and heat it up.
Put hing, red chilli, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves and sauté. Do not burn the spices.
As the spices start crackling, add ginger paste, green chilli and sauté for half a second.
Add the dal water, jaggery, kokum and salt (if needed) and bring to boil. Stir occasionally in between. Do not forget that the dish tastes somewhat sweet-tangy.
If you do not have kokum, use lemon juice instead.
Switch off the flame and add black pepper powder and chopped coriander leaves and close the lid.
Serve hot with steamed rice. Happy cooking!