My Food Story: A pigeon pea dish to mend your weary soul

I deftly dropped wheat dough strips into the bubbling lentils spiced with turmeric, cumin, and green chilies. The aroma wrapped me like a warm hug, earthy dal mingling with roti, edges softening in the savory gravy. As I slurped the first spoonful, salty tang and subtle sweetness danced on my tongue. “This cures everything,” I winked, sharing tales of childhood feasts. That winter evening, kanule mended my weary soul, proving food was love’s simplest spell.

Kanule

Main ingredient

Toor dal/Pigeon pea/Cajanus cajan

Ingredients

For dal

1/2 cup toor dal

1/4 tsp turmeric

Salt

2 cups water

For Kanule (roti) dough

1 cup wheat flour

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli powder

Salt

2 tsp oil

Water as needed.

For tempering (Tadka)

2 tbsp ghee/oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 green chillies

A pinch asafetida

1 tomato (chopped)

1 tsp each chili and coriander powder

Coriander leaves.

Method

Pressure cook 1/2 cup toor dal with 1/4 tsp turmeric, salt, and 2 cups water for 4-5 whistles until mushy. Mash well and keep aside.

In a bowl, mix 1 cup wheat flour, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, salt, and 2 tsp oil, then knead into a firm dough using water as needed. Rest for 10 minutes, roll into a thick chapati, and cut into diamond-shaped pieces.

Heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 2 green chillies, a pinch of asafoetida, 1 chopped tomato, and 1 tsp each of chilli powder and coriander powder, and sauté until the oil separates. Add the mashed dal along with extra water to make it soupy, bring to a boil, and then drop in the kanule pieces. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until they are soft. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot. 

Pulses are more than just ingredients in Indian kitchens. They are a source of protein, nutrition, and a deep connection to family traditions. On World Pulses Day, we celebrate not just the health benefits of these humble legumes, but the memories, stories, and love that people pour into pulse-based recipes passed down through generations.

My Food Story is a collection of stories and recipes that celebrate India’s traditional plant-based ingredients sourced from local biodiversity. You can see these recipes on our interactive dashboard (https://www.cseindia.org/page/myfoodstory).

Join us as we showcase the recipes shared with us by the participants of a recently concluded recipe contest on winter dishes.

Pragya Shrivastava is into digital marketing and is based in Karnataka