Black Gram Rice (w) Sesame Chutney

Don't get scared with the thought of raw Sesame and Plain Urad Dhal, this recipe has its secrets to good taste.  Down the dusty paths of the old south Tamil Nadu this was a famous dish and is still prepared with much care and love. Black gram (Urad Dhal ) is a staple of this place. So most of their dishes involve using it in large quantities.

As far as the medicinal values goes it increases the pelvic bone strength especially in women and is preferred before child birth. In modern terms it is a whole grain with much of the needed Protein (25% by weight) and Carbs. Also due to very less cooking time (30 mins tops) makes an excellent lunch choice for a lazy weekend afternoon ! So getting into the actual preparation...

Ingredients:
Black Gram (halved with the black coat) - 2 Cups
Rice (can be par-boiled rice) - 2 Cups
Garlic - 15 Pods
Water - 6 -8 cups depending on the pressure cooker.
Salt - to taste.
Chillies - 3-4 (if desired)
Curry Leaves - for garnishing
Grated Coconut - (can be added to the rice or used as garnishing)
Gingely Oil - for serving.

Direction
Pressure cook dhal, rice, garlic, coconut & water adding salt to the mixture. When adding water I usually like to keep it at 2 cups for 1 cup of rice and 1 to 11/2 cup for a cup of dhal. Once the pressure is released you can roast red chillies & curry leaves in 1 tsp of oil and add to it. While serving pour a little bit (1 tsp per cup) of  gingely oil on top. It will be delicious!

This goes well with sesame chutney which is as simple as the main dish. Dry roast 1/2 cup sesame (black or white) with 2 Tbsp of coconut & 2 red chillies. Grind it to a fine paste. Add Salt to taste.  No tempering required, but if desired splutter jeera & mustard seeds in oil and add it to the chutney.

Tips:
      *   No need to mash the dhal/rice after cooking
      *   The curry leaves and chillies are optional. Coconut is also optional. The basic dish itself will taste good.
      *   The dish can be prepared with the yellow urad dhal as well but may not be very delicious and would lack some nutritional values too.
      *   If you are not a sesame fan you can try with Sambhar or regular coconut chutney. I personally like the white sesame chutney :).