Mitha Dali

At the mere mention of Puri, the first image which floats up in my brain, is the Puri Temple - The Lord Jagannatha's Temple where He is worshiped along with his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on the Ratna Bedi along with Sridevi, Bhudevi, Sudarshan Chakra and Madanmohan.
A very sacred place, It has a special space in the hearts and minds of many.

Personally, I have a lot of fond memories attached with Puri. And to be very frank, most of it are with the Mahaprasad. During each visit to The Temple, I would eagerly wait for all the rituals to get over, for then we would head for the Anand Bazar where the Mahaprasad is sold.
One whiff of the aroma and I would be sure that this is exactly what heavenly food smells like... then of-course, it is !! For it is said that Maa Lakshmi, Herself presides over the temple kitchen. No wonder heavenly food comes out.

We would have a hearty meal and on our way back would carry some for neighbours and friends. Given a choice I would probably have carried back each of the dishes for a second meal....and a third...probably each meal of each day :D!!
Anyway we (the kids) would be asked for our wishes (a special portion for us too :D :D ) and each time 'mitha dali' would be the unanimous scream!
And, the following meal would see 2 greedy kids devouring away mitha dali till the point the earthern pot (containing the dali) would be as clean as new :P .

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup Channa Dal
• 1/4 Cup Coconut, grated
• 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tbspn Panch Phootan (cumin, mustard, nigella, fennel and fenugreek)
• 1 Tspn Coriander Seeds
• 1" Cinnamon 
• 4-5 Cardamom
• 4-5 Cloves
• 4-5 Black Pepper
• 2 Tbspn Jaggery (or sugar)
• 1 Tspn Turmeric Powder
• Ghee
• Salt, as per taste 

METHOD

• Soak the Channa Dal for about 30 minutes. Rinse and pressure cook the Channa Dal with salt, turmeric and jaggery, for 10 minutes or till Channa Dal is soft.
• Blend the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Add little water to make a paste.
• After the steam releases from the pressure cooker, add the above paste along with the coconut and bring to a boil. Then simmer for around 15 minutes or till a relatively thick consistency is achieved.
• In another pan, heat a couple of tbspn of ghee. Add the panchphootan seeds. Saute for about half a minute and then add the dal. Mix well and simmer for about a couple of minutes. 
• Serve and relish the ever awesome 'mitha dali' :D.

 Soak Channa Dal for about half an hour.

 Pressure cook the soaked Dal with salt, turmeric and jaggery (I have used dark jaggery).

 Make a paste of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.

 Add the coconut and the dry spices paste to the boiled Dal. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.
In another pan, heat ghee and add panch phootan. As they splutter, add the Dal. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

Relish :D !!