When you are short of time and want to make just one dish, dal with vegetables is a good choice. Wholesome, nutritious, easy, and quick to make; it goes well with both roti and rice. At home, we call dal with vegetables as moloshyam. There are many variations to this recipe and you really don’t need to refer to a recipe to make it. Make it as simple or as elaborate as you want to. On a day that you feel adventurous and have time to experiment with, you can try this dal with more vegetables and spice combinations. On a busy day, you can make it simple by just pressure cooking the dal and add the sauteed greens later.

Ingredients:
Toor dal – 3/4 cup
Chopped fenugreek/methi/uluva leaves – 1-2 cups (packed)
Onion chopped – 1/4 cup
Garlic (chopped – 1 tsp
Green chilies chopped/red chilly powder – 1 tsp
Tomato chopped – 1 /4 cup
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin (jeera) seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cooking oil – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Asafetida/hing/kayam powder – a pinch
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 3-4

Method:
Rinse the dal and soak in water for 2-3 hours. Drain the water, add 2 cups of water, and pressure cook until soft.
Heat oil in a pan and allow mustard seeds to crackle. When mustard seeds start crackling, add jeera seeds and asafetida powder. Add chopped garlic and saute. Add chopped onions, green chillies and saute. When the onions turn pink, add tomatoes and cook for 3-4 mins. If instead of green chillies you are using red chilly powder, add that and turmeric powder. Add chopped fenugreek leaves, close with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes. When the methi leaves are cooked, add the cooked dal and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the fire and add lemon juice. Methi dal is ready to be served with warm rotis or rice. Serve along with papad and pickle when serving with rice. Will leave your lips smacking.