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DHAN SAK VEGETARIAN INGREDIENTS: Dhansak is made up of two main ingredients: the Dhan (the lentils) and the Sak (the greens and vegetables). To these are added Ginger-garlic paste and Tamarind paste and above all the dhansak masala. Each part is given separately. DHAN The easily found dals (lentils) are listed here. In traditional recipes seven dals are used. But since the other two are not easily available, they are not given here. 1/4th cup Toor dal 1/4th cup Moong dal 1/8th cup Urad dal 1/4th cup Masoor dal 1/4th cup Chana dal GREENS AND VEGETABLES GREENS 1 medium sized bunch of spinach (palak) 1 small bunch of fenugreek leaves (if not available use about 1 tablespoon of dried fenugreek leaves: Methi leaves{dried leaves are much stronger than fresh ones}) 1 small bunch of coriander leaves Around 10-15 leaves of mint. VEGETABLES INDISPENSABLE 1 small eggplant/ aubergine: chopped and diced. 1 two inch square of red pumpkin 1 small marrow or squash: cleaned and chopped into small pieces. 1 cup tomatoes with the seeds removed. 1 large onion One 3 inch square piece of fresh cocoanut ground finely. (If not available use one tablespoon of desiccated cocoanut or a small pack of cocoanut milk) ADDITIONAL 1 small potato diced 1 carrot diced Paste (1 table-spoon) Ginger Garlic If not available can be made out of fresh Ginger and Garlic in proportion of 2 to 1 respectively. Tamarind 1 tea-spoon of tamarind paste (Traditionally Parsis used Sugarcane vinegar but since the early 19th Century this was replaced by Tamarind paste) DHANSAK MASALA Roast lightly and separately the following: Two red chillies (may be dispensed with if you are not very chillie oriented) 1 small piece of cinnamon (1 inch) 8-10 black peppers 3 dried bay leaves 1/8 of a medium sized nutmeg 8-10 cloves 1 small teaspoon of dried fenugreek seeds 1 small tea spoon of sesame seeds 1 ¼” piece of mace (check the strength of the mace: some varieties can be very strong) 1 tablespoon of jeera (cumin) seeds 1 tablespoon of dhana (coriander) seeds Grind the above. Now add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder and keep stored in an air-proof bottle. An added ingredient could be what is termed as stone flower. You could find it in Indian Grocery stores. Method : The Dals: Soak the dals (If using the Chana or Gram dal) keep the dal soaked overnight for easy cooking. Cook the dals (preferably in a pressure cooker for easy cooking) till they are soft. Grind them to a fine paste. The Greens Cook the vegetables and the greens, till they are soft and grind them to a soft paste. Assembling: Take a thick-bottomed vessel. If needed add a table-spoon of oil (Traditionally Dhansak is cooked without oil, but oil will prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom). First add the dals. Next add the ginger-garlic and tamarind paste and let it cook for around 5 minutes, stirring all the while. Now add the greens and vegetables which have been reduced to a paste and keep on stirring. You will see that the mixture is greenish yellow. Now add the dhan-sak masala. When the masala is well mixed inside the mixture, add a cup of water. Add salt as per your taste. If you are a turmeric fan and want a deep yellow colour, add a half teaspoon of turmeric powder. (At this point, if you are non-vegetarian, you could add chicken or meat stock and also meat or chicken). Let the dhan-sak cook for at least half an hour on a very low heat. Stir from time to time, to ensure that the dhansak does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Traditionally Parsis prefer to let a bit of dhansak stick to the bottom, which imparts a slightly burnt taste. If the mixture is too thick, add a little bit of water. Your dhansak is ready to eat along with the traditional parsi “kachubar” (salad made of finely diced cucumber and tomato and onion, seasoned with finely chopped green coriander and mint leaves, along with a dash of vinegar, salt and pepper) and “brown rice” (rice which has been cooked with a ¼ teaspoon of caramelized sugar to give it a light brown colour, and garnished with 4-5 whole pepper corns, bay leaves, a small piece of cinnamon, 3 cloves which are lightly fried before being added to the rice).