Andaman & Nicobar Islands are union territories of India with Port Blair as the capital.  They are located in the Bay of Bengal about 1300 km east of mainland India.  They consist of more than 800 islands grouped as the two Islands- Andaman and Nicobar.  The two islands are well known for the white-sand beaches, coral reefs and beautiful palm trees. There are several historical sites such as the Cellular Jail. 

100 gm whole moong dal

1 green chili

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 cheena kela (green plantain)

1 tbsp fresh grated coconut** ½ tsp Salt

For tempering:

1 tbsp refined oil/coconut oil

1 medium size onion finely chopped

1 sprig of curry leaves

2 red dried chillies

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp of tamarind paste

½ cup of fresh coconut milk**

1. Wash and soak the dal overnight.
2. Wash it again with water before cooking.

3. Wash and peel the green plantain.  Cut them into small pieces.

4. Wash and cut the green chilli too into small pieces.

5. Pressure-cook the moong dal, with, 1 tbsp of grated coconut, ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp of salt, green chilli, green plantain, and with ½ cup of water. 

6. After the first whistle lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes. 

7. Allow the cooker to   cool down on its own.

8. When the cooker cools down, add ½ cup of coconut milk and bring it to boil and allow to simmer.

For tempering:

9. In the meantime, heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy pan.

10. Add the mustard seeds. 

11. When the seeds begin to splutter add the dry red chillies.

12. Add onion and the curry leaves and fry for few more seconds.

13. Add 1 tbsp of tamarind pulp and fry again for a few seconds more.

  14. Pour the cooked dal over the fried spices stirring gently. The consistency of the dal should neither be too thick nor too thin. Add little warm water to your required consistency. 

15. Adjust the salt. 

16. Boil the dal for a minute or so. 

17. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Clean the coconut and remove the fibres from the hard shell.  Refrigerate the coconut overnight. With a hammer, pound the hard shell of the coconut.  The shell will crack and the kernel will separate from the shell easily.

With a sharp knife remove the dark brown skin from the kernel.

Cut the kernel into smaller pieces and grind them finely in a grinder.

Take the grated coconut in a container and pour ½ cup of hot water over it.  Allow it to stand for some time. Squeeze and strain out the liquid— that is your coconut milk!

Soak few pieces of dried tamarind in boiling water for few minutes. When the tamarind becomes soft, squeeze out the tamarind pulp.  Strain it.

Eastern India – shares the international border with Nepal, Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh in the east.

It is bounded by Sikkim in the north, Assam in the east, Andhra Pradesh in the south, and Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh in the west.

The islands of Andaman & Nicobar are located in the Bay of Bengal on the eastern side of the mainland India.

Tripura is one of the “Seven Sisters” states in north east India.  It is the third smallest state of the India. Its capital is Agartala. It is hilly and extensively covered with forests.  During British raj, Tripura was a princely state.

100 gm pink masoor dal

4-5 small onions/ 2 medium size onion

2 tbsp of mustard oil

3 green chilies

Salt to taste

1. Wash and drain the dal.  Keep it aside.

2. Peel, wash and cut the onions finely and keep them aside.

3. Slit the green chillies through lengthwise.

4. Heat a pan with the mustard oil.  5. When the oil smokes, lower the heat and add the sliced onion and the chilies. 

6. Fry them for a while until onion are lightly browned.

7. Keep aside a little for garnishing later.

8. Add the dal and saute for few seconds.

9. Add enough warm water and salt and cook over low heat until the dal is soft and retain the dal shapes.

10. Bring the water to boil, cover it and cook for about 20 minutes until the dal is cooked. 

11. Stir gently from time to time, but make sure to maintain the round shape of the dal. 

12. Add ¼ cup of warm water to the dal and gently stir it.

13. The consistency of the dal should neither be thick nor very thin.

14. Simmer the dal for another few seconds and remove it from the heat.

Sikkim is the 8^th state from north east India, brother of the seven sisters. Mt Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world is situated in Sikkim. It has beautiful rugged mountains, deep valleys and dense forests with many lakes and water falls. It is a paradise for tourists.  Its capital is Gangtok.  Sikkim has lots of Buddhist monasteries, so it is known as the ‘Land of Monasteries’.

100 gm black urad dal

1 tbsp mustard oil

1 inch ginger finely chopped

¼ tsp turmeric powder salt to taste

1. Wash and soak the dal overnight.

2. Wash coriander leaves and chop them finely. 

3. Peel, wash and finely chop the onion.

4. Wash, remove the stems from the chillies and make a small slit on the broader side.

5. Wash, peel and finely chop the ginger. 

6. Peel, wash and chop the garlic finely.

7. Rinse the soaked dal and cook it in a pressure cooker with 1 tbsp of mustard oil, 1 tbsp chopped ginger, ¼ tsp of turmeric, ½ tsp of salt and 1 cup warm water.

8. After the first whistle, lower the flame to its minimum and cook it for 3 minutes. 

9. Allow the cooker to cool down on its own before opening the cooker lid.

10. Add ½ cup of warm water if necessary and stir in gently.

11. Heat the oil over medium heat, add chopped onion and saute for few seconds. 

12. Add the slit green chillies and chopped garlic and stir well. 

13. Add a little cooked dal and mix well.

14. Pour the remaining dal and bring it to boil. 

15. Mash the cooked dal a little.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and switch off the heat. 

16. Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. 

17. Kalo dal is ready to be served with steamed rice.

Nagaland is a beautiful hilly and mountainous state in north east India and one of the ‘Seven Sisters’ states. The state capital is Kohima.  Nagaland is known as a ‘Land of Festivals’. 

100 gm whole moong dal

2 tbsp of bamboo shoot

2 green fresh chillies

2 red dried chillies

1-2 flakes of garlic

2-3 medium size of mustard green leaves

4 garlic chieves

Salt to taste

1. Wash and soak the dal overnight.
2. Next morning wash lightly and strain it.

3. Wash peel and slice the garlic finely.

4. Wash and slit the chillies.  

5. Wash and chop the garlic chives.  6. Wash and tear the mustard green roughly with your hand as in the picture.

7. Place the dal in an open pan. 

8. Add garlic and salt. 

9. Add about 1 cup of hot water.

10. And cook over low heat until the dal is half cooked.

11. Add the bamboo shoots and the chillies and keep cooking for another 2 or 3 minutes until the green grams are cooked.

12. Add the garlic chives and then the mustard green and cook until the green gets cooked. 

13. Serve it hot with steamed rice.

Mizoram state is in north east India and is one of the Seven Sister States. Its capital is Aizawl.

Mizoram means –‘Land of the Mizos’- Mizo is the name of the native inhabitants of the state, and ‘ram’ means ‘land’.  Mizoram is also known as the ‘land of the blue mountains’.  The hills are overlapped by gushing rivers and water falls.

100 gm moong dal

1-2 mustard greens

2-3 bay leaves (tejpata)

1 green chilli

¼ tsp turmeric powder Salt to taste

1. Wash the moong dal and place it on a cooking pan.
2. Add bay leaf, chili and a little salt. 
3. Add 1 cup of hot water and a little turmeric powder. 
4. Place the pan on heat and bring it to boil. 
5. Lower the heat and cook dal cook over low heat until cooked.  It will take about 10 to 15 minutes

6. In the meantime, wash and chop the mustard greens roughly

7. Add the greens on the cooked dal. 

8. Add little warm water if needed.  Cook for another 1 or 2 minutes more and remove the dal from the heat.

Meghalaya is one of the ‘Seven Sisters’ in north east India.  Its capital is Shillong.  Meghalaya means ‘Abode of clouds’.  During British raj, Shillong was known as ‘Scotland of the east.” There are many beautiful landscapes and falls beside the root bridges.  Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the many festivals they celebrate every year.

100 gm urad dal

1 tsp of garlic paste

1 tsp of ginger paste

1-2 green/dried red chillies

1 medium size onion finely sliced

1 tbsp of black sesame seeds

1 tsbp of mustard oil

½ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste.

1. Peel, wash and slice the onion. 

2. Peel, wash and grate the garlic finely.

3. Peel, wash and grate the ginger finely.

4. Wash and cook the dal in pressure cooker with grated garlic and ginger, ½ tsp of salt, ½ tsp of turmeric powder , ½ tsp of salt and 1 cup of water. 

5. After the first whistle lower the heat to minimum and cook for 2 minutes. 

6. Switch off the heat and allow the cooker to cool down on its own.

7. Heat a pan and roast the sesame seeds and leave it to cool down. 

8. Grind them in a grinder till the oil oozes out from the seeds.

9. Open the pressure cooker.  Check if it is cooked.  Otherwise cook it again for a minute or so.

10. Add ½ cup of warm water.  Keeping in mind that the consistency of the dal should be slightly thick

11. Heat 1 tbsp of mustard oil in a pan, when it smokes reduce the heat. 

12. Add the chilli, allow it to fry for few seconds and then add the sliced onion.

13. Stir and fry the onion till lightly browned. 

14. Add the sesame paste the fried onion.  Saute the mixture for few seconds.

15. Add little water from the cooked dal to the fried mixture and mix it well. 

16. Add the remaining the dal and stir well.  Bring the dal to boil.

17. Adjust the salt. 

18. Serve it with hot red/white rice.

Manipur is one of the ‘Seven Sisters State’, besides Sikkim in North East India. Its capital is Imphal.  Manipur is known as the ‘Land of gems’ because it is surrounded by nine hills and an oval shaped valley at the centre.

“It looks fine, but what are the coriander leaves doing there?” was her polite remark.

“Without garlic chives you will never get the actual flavor of Sagolhawai uti,” said she.

So, we grew our own garlic chives at home and used it for the recipe.

150 gm black gram dal

125 gm taro (In India it is called Arbi, Arvi, Kochu or Kosu,)

1” piece of ginger

20 gm garlic chives

2-3 green chillies (optional)

 ¼ tsp baking soda

1 tbsp of mustard oil

Salt to taste

1. Wash and peel the taros. 
2. Wash and peel the ginger. Grate it finely.
3. Wash the garlic chives and cut them into 2” long pieces.  And keep them aside.

4. Wash the urad dal and place it in a pressure cooker.

5. Add the taro, garlic chives, ginger and salt to it.

6. Add 1 ½ cup of water and cook. 

7. After the first whistle lower the heat to simmer and cook for 2 minutes.  And allow the cooker to cool down by itself.

8. In the meantime, peel, wash and slice the onion. 

9. Wash the chillies, cut off the stem and make a small slit on the broader side.

10. Open the lid of the cooker and check the dal.

11. If it is cooked add 1 cup of warm water. 

12. Add ¼ tsp of cooking soda and stir gently. Place the cooker back onto stove and let it simmer.

13. Heat a pan and add the mustard oil. 

14. Allow it to smoke.  (It is important for the oil to smoke.  When it smokes the raw smell of mustard oil disappears.)

15. When it smokes, switch off the heat. 

16. Add the chillies and chopped onions and saute until golden.

17. Pour the tempering mixture into the cooked dal and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. 

18. Adjust the salt and pour into a serving dish and serve with cooked rice.

Assam is the gateway to the north east of India and is one of the “Seven sisters” states besides Sikkim. It is popularly known as the land of red river and blue hills. Assam is home to the Kamakhya Temple which is one of the oldest and most revered tantric temples of India, situated in Nilachal that is the blue hills of Guwahati. The red river is referred to the mighty Brahmaputra which flows through the entire state.  The capital of Assam is Dispur.  

100 grm urad dal

2 medium size tomato

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp mustard oil

2 green chilli

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp turmer powder

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

1. Wash and drain the dal and place it in the pressure cooker.
2. Add turmeric powder, salt and 1 cup water and cook the dal.  After the first whistle lower the heat and cook for 1 minutes.  Allow the cooker to cool down on its own.

3. In the mean-time. wash the chilies. Cut off the stems and slit them halfway. 

4. Wash the tomatoes and cut them wedge-wise. 

5. Wash and chop the coriander leaves finely.

6. Open the cooker and check if the dal is cooked.  The grains of the dal should be soft yet it must retain its shape. 

7. Add 1 cup of warm water and bring it to boil. 

8. Lower the heat and keep it at simmering.

9. In a pan, heat the mustard oil.  Allow it to smoke.

10. When it smokes add the mustard seed and cover it with a lid otherwise the mustard oil will splutter all over. 

11. When the mustard seeds turn black add the green chilies and then the sliced tomatoes   and stir and fry. Add little salt so that the tomatoes become soft quickly.

12. Once the tomato mixture is fried well till there is no more juice and the oil oozes out, add the cooked dal.

13. Add some more warm water to the dal and cook it for another 2-3 minutes.

14. Add the chopped coriander leaves.

15. Squeeze half of a lemon (1 tbsp). Adjust the salt and serve with hot steamed and fried potatoes or potato mashed with salt, green chilli, finely chopped onion and mustard oil.