Hyderabadi lentils with purslane (Bhagare Katli)

Purslane, known locally in Hyderabad as kulfa, is a favourite. It is a seasonal crop and floods the market during the summer months when it thrives. This dish is a very traditional dish that caters to the Hyderabadi desire for sour flavours.

Several sour agents are used in Hyderabadi cuisine: tamarind, lime, rosella leaves, tomatoes, preserved lemons, and purslane. Each adds a distinct type of sourness to the dish, from very tart (tamarind) to milder tomes (kulfa).

Lentils are also core to the cuisine and a source of vegetable protein. I have been enjoying this dish for a long time at my mother's home. It is one of those childhood dishes that we are attached to.

Here, the two ingredients are used together for a lovely dal. The spices are mild and balanced, and the dal has a gentle tartness that makes you want more. It pairs well with all dishes on the table, both vegetarian and meat-based, and is the perfect side dish. It is generally served with rice.

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Ingredients:

1/2 cup pigeon peas (toor dal), soaked overnight in 6 cups water

1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder

1 tomato, diced

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

4 cups water

1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate

Salt, to taste

4 tablespoons cilantro, minced

7 cups water-purslane leaves and tender stems, chopped

To temper:

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

12 curry leaves

2 red chillies

Rinse and drain the lentils. Add them to a pot with the ginger-garlic paste, chilli, tomato, turmeric, and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour until the lentils are very soft and beginning to break down. Alternatively, you can pressure cook them for three whistles. When cooked, work the soft lentils with a masher, breaking them up into a thick dal.

Add the tamarind and salt and simmer for 10 minutes. If the lentils get too thick, add a half cup of water. Add the cilantro and purslane and cook for 10 minutes until the purslane is cooked—taste for salt and tartness. You want a thick dal.

Ladle the hot dal into a bowl. Heat a small tempering pot with the oil. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 10 seconds. Add the curry leaves and chillies and take off the heat. Pour the olive oil over the dal. Serve immediately.