Mooli Osaman: Clear Dal and Radish Soup

Cold and rainy days are accompanied with hot comfort food, and every family has their recipe of delicious comfort food. It could be samosa and pakoras for some, soups for some or hot spicy food for some. We definitely enjoy hot steamed rice with dal or vegetable. That is our way of enjoying a relaxing comfort meal.

Osaman is a clear dal soup made by collecting excess water from cooked dal. It is made flavorful by tempering and adding few healthy ingredients. Together with left over thick dal or lachko dal as we call it, it is a great comfort food with steamed rice. This is a wonderful protein-rich recipe to enjoy on a lazy weekend or a busy weekday!

My mother adds radish slices to osaman and we love it that way. The taste is enhanced by cooking radish slices with osaman water to make a delicious broth. You can choose to avoid it or add it as per your family likes.  Radish in this recipe helps to cleanse and detoxify your body, and Osaman is a healthy dal soup especially during the flu season.

Ingredients: (serves 3-4 people)

1 cup Toor dal/ split pigeon peas

4 cups water

For thick dal:

1 tsp. salt

pinch of turmeric powder

For Osaman

1+1/2 cup water

1 cup sliced radish

1 tsp. salt

2-3 tbsp. powdered jaggery

4-5 dried kokam berries

Pinch of turmeric powder

1 tbsp. ghee

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

1 chopped green chili
1/4 tsp grated ginger

1/4 cup plain yogurt

Cilantro and Shredded coconut to garnish

• Wash toor dal well. Add 4 cups water and pressure cook for 45 minutes or 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure cool and gently open the pressure cooker.
• Pour water from cooked dal in a different container.
• Use a whisk to mash cooked dal and add 2-3 tbsp. of mashed dal to dal water.
• Add 1 tsp. salt and pinch of turmeric powder to mashed dal. Heat it for 2-3 minutes while stirring to avoid dal getting burnt in the cooking vessel.
• Add 1+1/2 cup regular water to dal water.
• To the dal water, add sliced radish, salt, pinch of turmeric powder, grated ginger, jaggery, and kokam.
• To temper: heat ghee in a tempering bowl, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chopped green chilies.  When it crackles add pinch of asafoetida (hing) and pour the temper to dal water.
• Bring dal soup to boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and immediately add 1/4 cup of yogurt. Do not mix. Cover the container and leave it untouched for 5 minutes.
• Mix and serve with thick dal and rice or enjoy as is.
• Garnish with cilantro and shredded coconut!

Wash toor dal well. Add 4 cups water and pressure cook for 45 minutes or 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure cool and gently open the pressure cooker.

Pour water from cooked dal in a different container.

Use a whisk to mash cooked dal and add 2-3 tbsp. of mashed dal to dal water.

Add 1 tsp. salt and pinch of turmeric powder to mashed dal. Heat it for 2-3 minutes while stirring to avoid dal getting burnt in the cooking vessel.

Here is a traditional Indian wooden whisk. It is held in between palms and the palms are rubbed, to creating rotating back and forth motion.

Add 2-3 tbsp. of mashed dal to dal water.

Add 1+1/2 cup regular water to dal water.

To the dal water, add sliced radish, salt, pinch of turmeric powder, grated ginger, jaggery, and kokam.

 Jaggery powder and dried kokan berries

To temper: heat ghee in a tempering bowl, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chopped green chilies. 

When it crackles add pinch of asafoetida (hing) and pour the temper to dal water.

Bring dal soup to boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and immediately add 1/4 cup of yogurt. Do not mix. Cover the container and leave it untouched for 5 minutes.

Mix and serve with thick dal and rice or enjoy as is.

Garnish with cilantro and shredded coconut!

Thick or Lachko Dal with a dollop of ghee, accompanied with Osaman and rice.

Enjoy!!