Bengali dal chorchori with vegetables

Ingredients

• 200 g of mung beans (or red lentils)
• 1 medium potato, cut into small cubes
• 75 g of pumpkin, cut into small cubes
• ½ medium eggplant, diced
• 75 g of green papaya, diced (optional)
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2-3 green, slightly damaged chili peppers
• 2 to 3 dried chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon of ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/4 cup of dried cilantro
• ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 pinch of sugar (optional)
• ½ teaspoon of panch phoron
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil (preferably mustard oil)
• 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro
• salt
• water

Lightly toast the dry mung beans in a frying pan, being careful not to burn them. Rinse them, then let them soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook it in lightly salted water until it is tender but not completely cooked through. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and lightly brown the potatoes. Remove them.

In a separate pan, sauté the eggplant, pumpkin, and papaya until golden brown. Remove them from the pan.

In the remaining oil, brown the panch phoron and dried chili peppers. Once the spices are fragrant, add the onion and cook until lightly golden.

Add the ginger and green chili peppers, cook for 1 minute, then add the cumin, cilantro, turmeric, and a little water. Continue cooking until the oil separates.

Add the sautéed vegetables and cooked lentils, then mix well.

Add salt, and sugar if you are using it.

Pour a small amount of water (just a little, as the dal is thick). Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables and dal are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Remove from heat when the sauce has thickened and is well combined, then garnish with fresh cilantro.