‘Varan‘ is a soul satisfying food and the quintessential recipe of Maharashtrian cuisine. It is a simple rather basic recipe prepared using toor dal (aka split pigeon peas) but essential for any occasions of marathi culture; we often prepare it as offering to god for festivals. Quite basic dal with handful ingredients which is paired with rice and dollop of ghee over the top. This ultimate combo known as ‘Varan-Bhat’ (varan = dal & bhat = rice) that makes a comforting and hearty meal. Serve it with simple sides like pickle and papad; Happiness in every bite 😍.

Trip down memory lane; I always enjoyed eating varan-bhat in a traditional Pangat at weddings or functions. In Maharashtra; Pangat is an authentic setting of parallel rows where food is served in thali or banana leaf with several courses. And waiter serves each course in sequence one after the other on thali or plate. Nowadays; buffet system replaced traditional pangat but it had its own charm 😊.

Enough reminiscing and coming back to the recipe now; it is simple 2-3 steps recipe. You can serve this dal without any tempering (or tadka) but it adds extra layer of flavours and aroma. This is vegan friendly recipe and use of ghee is completely optional. In that case; use vegetable oil for tempering and skip ghee while serving with rice.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup toor dal or split pigeon peas

1-2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida

Salt as per taste

Water for cooking

How to make:

Rinse toor dal and soak it in enough water for 4-5 hours.

Once dal is soaked for sufficient time ; it will swell in size and cooks easily.

I am using pressure cooker to cook soaked toor dal as it’s a faster method.

(Alternatively, dal can be cooked over high heat in a pan; but it is a time consuming process.)

Transfer soaked toor dal into pressure cooker and add enough water to cover it.

Tip in turmeric, asafoetida and salt along with little ghee. Cover the pressure cooker and cook for 4-5 whistles or until dal is cooked.

Once pressure cooker is cooled down; open it and whisk cooked dal until smooth consistency.

Transfer cooked dal into a pan over high-medium heat. Cook it further until thick and smooth.

Add more salt if required and give a quick stir.

You can serve this thick golden dal as ‘Varan’ with hot steamed rice. Additionally; pour a hot tempering over the dal before serving.

For tempering; take a small pan over high heat and add ghee into it.

Once ghee starts melting; add mustard seeds and let it crackle for few seconds. Next add cumin seeds into the hot pan. Let it splutter and pour this hot tempering over the daal.

Our ‘Varan‘ is ready to serve.

Varan is served with plain steamed rice with blob of ghee over the top.

It’s super easy and comforting recipe; perfect for weekday lunch or dinner.

If you have any questions, feedback or suggesting then do let me know in comments.

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Recipe