• Toor Dal - 125g or 1/2 or 250ml teacup
• Channa Dal - 30g or 2 tblsp
• Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp heaped
• Cinnamon - 1 inch long thick stick
• Cloves - 2
• Onion - 1 medium
• Tomato - 2 medium
• Green Chilli - 3
• Aubergine - 1/2 medium or Brinjal or Egg plant - 7-8 small
• Raw Mango - 2-3 2" pieces (optional)
• Cooking oil - 3 tblsp
• Curry leaves - 1 Sprig
• Chopped coriander leaves - 2-3 tsp (optional)
• Tamarind - ball of 2cm diameter
• Warm water - 100ml

Spice powders:

• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp heaped for medium spicy or 2 heaped for extra spicy
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp heaped

1. Rinse the dal and drain it.
2. Chop the onion, tomato and coriander leaves; Slit the chilli.
3. Cut aubergine into 1 inch cubes.
4. Cut mango into big block of 2 inches.
5. Wash and soak the tamarind in warm water. Squeeze out the tamarind pulp, strain and keep this tamarind juice aside.

1. ** Heat a pressure cooker pan on the stove.
2. ** Add both the dal, about 300ml of water and half of turmeric powder.
3. ** Cover and pressure cook. Switch off after 3 whistles and open when the pressure is gone.
4. Leave the cooked dal aside.
5. Heat a 4-5litre pressure cooker pan on a stove and add oil.
6. Season with curry leaves, cinnamon and cloves.
7. Add chopped onion; stir on a medium heat until they become translucent.
8. Add chilli and ginger-garlic paste; Saute them.
9. Add rest of turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, tomatoes, coriander leaves and aubergine and fry further for about 3-4 minutes.
10. *** Add about a cup of water to the pan.
11. *** Cover and leave the heat on medium.
12. *** Switch off the stove after 3-4 minutes and open the lid after the pressure is gone.
13. Add the cooked dal and mangoes to the pan of vegetables and stir.
14. Reduce the quantity of tamarind juice by ½ if mangoes are added.
15. Add tamarind juice, stir and let it boil on medium heat for few minutes.
16. Add water if the curry is too thick and let it boil.
17. Garnish with rest of the curry leaves.
18. Dalcha is ready to be served.

1. Heat a 3-4ltr saucepan on a high heat.
2. Add dal, about 750ml of water and half of turmeric powder.
3. Once the water starts boiling, simmer the heat, cover and cook on a low-medium heat until the dal is soft enough. Leave the lid ajar to stop the water overflowing.
4. Open the lid, stir few times and make sure there is enough water left. If there is not enough water left, add more for the dal to be cooked.
5. Switch off the pan after checking whether the dal is cooked well and in soft texture but not too soft.

1. Add about 200ml of water to the pan of onion, tomatoes, vegetables and spices.
2. Cover and cook on a medium heat for about 10-12 minutes. Open the lid and stir in the middle and check whether there is enough water left. if there is not enough water left, add more water and let it cook.