“My mother always told me that anything cooked hurriedly does not allow each ingredient to bring out its best self,” said Sunita Sinha, a home chef who runs a Balochi cloud kitchen called House of Baloch in Delhi.
Having received Balochi recipes as heirloom from her mother and nani (maternal grandmother), Sinha aims to bring the rustic flavours of the cuisine to the people of Delhi. “The magic of slow and patient cooking can be best seen in traditional and authentic Balochi preparations,” added Sinha, in an exclusive conversation with Outlook Traveller Eats.
One such dish she mentioned is the Dal Balochi, which takes anywhere between 4-5 hours to be prepared. “When you prepare maa ki daal in a pressure cooker, it retains a bitterness. The four hours of slow cooking the dal Balochi does away with that bitterness completely,” said Sinha.
After the first round of boiling the dal, the black froth is strained. This is followed by the second boil with nutmeg, chilli powder, and salt. The dal is allowed to stay for the next four hours before it is mashed completely. Dal Balochi uses a pinch of Balochi garam masala, a powder of cumin, coriander, red chillies, nutmeg, green cardamom, and cinnamon.
Prepare dal balochi where each ingredient comes to the fore to play its part and add to the overall experience of enjoying a well-made dal.
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