For several dal recipes I am following, it instructs me to put in salt near the end of cooking. Why?

There are several recipes for various dal and mixed dal (beans/lentils) in Madhur Jaffrey's Vegetarian India. Many of the recipes call for bringing a 4:1 ratio (by volume) of water to dal, then adding turmeric, then simmering for a while, and then adding salt in at the end.

I am not sure why, since it would seem like it would be easier to get a more even salinity throughout the dish if it were added earlier. The recipe notes indicate that to make the dish more watery, Indian chefs often will add extra water at the end, so a more liquid dish does not seem to be the default according to the instructions.

For reference, some recipes call for steeping spices, like clove or cardamom, in the water first or while cooking, and most of them call for adding sautéed spices and/or veggies in at the end as a final step before serving.

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