Name: Kancha Kadali o Arhar Dal Posto Halwa
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1.5 cups Toor dal (Arhar dal), soaked for 4 hours and ground to a thick coarse paste; 3 tablespoons Posto (Poppy seeds), soaked and ground into a smooth paste; 1 cup Cauliflower (Gobi), very finely grated; 1 large Raw Banana (Kancha Kadali), peeled and cut into small 1cm cubes; 1/2 cup Date paste or concentrated Date syrup (unsweetened); 1 tablespoon Cold-pressed Mustard oil; 1 teaspoon Panch phoron (Odiya five-spice: fennel, nigella, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds); 1/2 teaspoon Yellow mustard paste; 15 fresh Curry leaves; 1/4 cup Toasted Melon seeds (Char Magaz); 1/2 teaspoon Green cardamom powder; 1 pinch Black salt (Kala Namak)

The Preparation

Step 1

Step 1 — Prepare the base: Heat half the mustard oil in a wide non-stick pan. Add the panch phoron seeds; when they crackle and the fennel aroma is released, add the grated cauliflower and a pinch of black salt. Pan-roast on medium heat for 5 minutes until the cauliflower loses its moisture and turns slightly golden.

Step 2

Step 2 — Roast the protein: To the same pan, add the ground arhar dal paste. Stir continuously on medium-low heat, pan-roasting the paste until it loses its raw smell and starts to crumble slightly (about 8-10 minutes).

Step 3

Step 3 — Incorporate aromatics: Stir in the poppy seed (posto) paste and date syrup. Continue roasting for another 4 minutes until the mixture thickens and starts pulling away from the sides of the pan. Stir in the cardamom powder and half of the toasted melon seeds.

Step 4

Step 4 — Glaze the banana: In a separate small skillet, heat the remaining mustard oil. Add the curry leaves and the raw banana cubes. Shallow fry until the banana is tender. In the last minute, toss the banana cubes with the yellow mustard paste and a teaspoon of date syrup to create a pungent-sweet glaze.

Step 5

Step 5 — Assemble: Fold the mustard-glazed bananas gently into the dal halwa. Garnish with the remaining melon seeds and a few crisp curry leaves. Serve warm.