To celebrate World Pulses Day, why not try cooking up some delicious dal recipes? All the recipes below are taken from The Dal Cookbook by Krishna Dutta.

Moong Dal with Cauliflower

• 250g small, split yellow moong dal
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
• 1 medium cauliflower, divided into small florets
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 4 small green cardamom pods
• 2 small cinnamon sticks
• 1 tbsp fresh root ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander leaves
• salt, to taste

Dry fry or toast the dals in a deep frying pan without oil till the nutty aroma rises and set aside for a couple of minutes. Pour 700ml of warm water into a heavy saucepan, add the toasted dals and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, add the ground turmeric, cumin and chilli to it, put the lid on and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Keep watching it so it does not become dry and add water if necessary. Add the cauliflower florets when the dals are soft and cook for four more minutes. Set aside.

Put the ghee into a deep frying pan. When hot, crush the cardamom pods, split the cinnamon sticks and toss them in. Then add the crushed ginger with tomato puree and blend with a whisk. As the aroma rises tip them into the pan of cooked dals and stir well. Turn the heat off. Sprinkle with coriander leaves on top and immediately put the lid on to retain the flavour.

Serve with rice or unleavened bread, such as parathas or roti.

Goan Prawn and Coconut Dal

• 50g split moong dal
• 50g toor dal
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or sesame oil
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 400g peeled prawns
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• thumb-sized piece root ginger, finely grated
• 2 fresh green chillies, sliced
• 200ml tinned coconut milk
• 45g fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• salt, to taste

Boil the dals in approximately 200-300ml water and set aside. Pour the oil in a pan and stir fry the onions a little. Dust the prawns with the ground turmeric and add them to the pan and toss them rapidly for about 20 seconds, stir in the grated ginger. When the aroma of cooked ginger rises, pour in the cooked and cooled dals with the sliced chillies. Stir well to mix. Add the coconut milk and cook for 4-5 minutes. Take off the heat and stir well to blend all the ingredients. Sprinkle over the chopped coriander leaves and cover the pan immediately to save flavours. Serve with warm rice.

Punjabi Black Dal

• 500g whole masoor dal
• thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 green chillies, seeded and sliced
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ready-made ground garam masala
• 2 tbsp single cream or beaten natural yoghurt
• spring onions, chopped
• salt, to taste

Cook the dal with grated ginger, crushed garlic cloves and sliced chillies in 800-900ml of water. Mash with a wooden spoon to a creamy consistency. Put aside.

Use a heavy frying pan, heat the ghee and fry the finely chopped onion till light brown. Add the ready-made ground garam masala and gently fry to release the spicy flavour, which should take 20 seconds or so. Tip the fried onion and spice into the cooked mashed dal and stir in gently. Add a swirl of cream or yoghurt just before serving and garnish with chopped spring onions.

Serve as a side dish with warm rice. You can also have it with roti or parathas and meat or vegetable curry.