VARAN

VARAN

Every thing about VARAN | Vahrehvah :

Varan is an excellent and delicious plain non-spicy or lightly spiced lentil soup from the Maharashtrian cuisine and is prepared with lentils, Indian spices and jaggery. Dal is an essential staple food of Maharashtrian food and is eaten daily. This dish can also be prepared with the split red gram dal or the moong dal instead of tur dal. It also appears in the wedding menu as well. In English, Varan stands for lentil curry or stew.

Varan with plain boiled rice or with roti is an fantastic comfort food, very simple and easy to cook. The basic recipe of Varan calls for dal (any lentil), ghee and seasoning ingredients but few also add vegetables like onion, tomatoes, cut beans or carrot, peas etc to make it healthy, nutritious and more delicious and suit to your taste.

Maharashtrian cuisine covers a range from being mild to very spicy dishes. Wheat, rice, dal (lentils), jowar, bajri, vegetables, and fruit form important components of Maharashtrian diet. Popular dishes include Puran poli, Modak, Batata wada and Kande-pohe.

A typical Maharashtrian lunch or dinner usually starts with Poli (chapati); accompanied by one or more bhaaji(s) (cooked vegetables) and a koshimbir (vegetable salad) along with some sides (usually pickles, Chutneys, or papad. This is usually followed by a second course of varan (lightly or unspiced Daal preparation), aamti (spicy Daal preparation) or rassa with rice.

Toor dal or pigeon pea also known as Arhar dal is the most popular and widely consumed dal  in India. Dal is something that constitutes an integral part of every Indian meal. You'll find it whistling away in cookers in every home and hotel. It is seasoned with variety of spices and it tastes delicious. Flavorful, simple and full of nutrients, one is sure to get a great taste with wholesome goodness. Dal seems simple and basic at first glance, actually encompasses an amazing variety. Different types of dal are masoor, toor, channa, moong and urad etc… There are many dal recipes like Palak Dal, Tadka Dal, Mango Dal, Dal Makhani, Cucumber Dal, Masala Dal and many more….

Cooking Tips:

• Ensure the dal is completely mashed before proceeding to prepare the dal.
• You can soak the dal for 30 to 40 minutes before cooking them.
• You can use moong dal instead of tur dal which also makes the dal tasty.

Health Tips:

• The health benefits of dals in general is that they are very rich in proteins.
• Pigeon Peacures cough, poisoning effect, gas troubles, acidity, stomach pain and piles.
• Toor dal has immense amounts of complex dietary fibers that helps to regularise bowel movements.
• Toor dal is also an excellent source of carbohydrates, which your body needs for energy.

This dish when served with steaming hot rice topped with ghee tastes Heaven!!!  you must try it….