Dal Pakwan

Dal Pakwan… The signature Sindhi breakfast was created in my kitchen this Sunday morning. An ideal rich breakfast for a lazy breezy and chill day with light drizzles. A crisp “Pakwan” made of a combination of flours topped with the “dal” and drizzled with mint and date chutney was absolutely lip-smacking.

I learnt the preparation of this dish from my colleague who is a passionate cook. Aromas from her kitchen is always a mix of Maharashtrian and Sindhi cuisines. The learning of this recipe happened at a time of no Internet, computers, or mobiles. The word-of-mouth recipe was tried several times before the dish was perfected and was given a thumbs-up by her.
Recently in the news was a snippet about dal Pakwan day which caught my eye and sharing the same with all of you too. On Sindhi new year .. Cheti Chand, some community members in the city of Indore ran a campaign for Dal Pakwan to create awareness on Sindhi cuisine. The day was known as Dal Pakwan day and was celebrated with fervor in Indore, Bhopal, Mumbai, Ulhasnagar Ajmer, Ahmedabad, surat to name a few.

DAL PAKWAN

For Pakwan:

INGREDIENTS

• WHEAT FLOUR  –  1/4 CUP
• MAIDA  – 2 AND 3/4 CUP
• CUMIN SEEDS  – 1 TSP
• BUTTER OR GHEE – 3 TBSP
• MILK   –  1/2CUP
• WATER  –  FOR KNEADING
• SALT  –  TO TASTE

METHOD

• Mix the flours along with salt, Cumin seeds, and butter to a crumbly texture.
• Add milk and begin to knead into a stiff dough. Add more water while kneading. I used 1.5 cups of water
• Cover the dough with a wet cloth and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• Roll into thick poories. Prick both the sides of the poories with a fork and deep fry till crisp in hot oil.

For Dal:

INGREDIENTS

• CHANNA DAL /BENGAL GRAM DAL  –  1. 5 CUPS
• OIL FOR TEMPERING –  1TSP
• CUMIN SEEDS  – 1 TSP
• CHILLY POWDER – 1 TSP
• ASAFOETIDA  – 1/4 TSP
• GREEN CHILLY  – 2 SLIT
• CURRY LEAVES  –  8 LEAVES CRUSHED
• TURMERIC POWDER  – 1 TSP
• SALT   –  TO TASTE

METHOD

• Wash the dal and pour into a pressure cooker.
• Add 5 cups of water and turmeric. After the first whistle simmer for 15 minutes and switch off the flame.
• Heat a spoon of oil. Add the Cumin, when it splutters add asafoetida, green chilly, curry leaves and switch off the flame. Now add the chilly powder and give it a saute. Pour the tempering into the dal. Add required quantity of salt and bring the dal to a boil. Check the consistency of the dal. Ensure that is thick. In case required adjust the consistency with little water.

For the chutney recipes please refer to my bhel poori post