Katachi Amti Recipe

Katachi Amti is tangy and spicy Maharashtrian dal prepared with chana dal (Bengal gram), dry coconut, tamarind pulp, jaggery, and a few spices. This thin tempered dal is popularly served with puran poli (vegan).

5 from 3 votes

Katachi Amti is tangy and spicy Maharashtrian dal prepared with chana dal (Bengal gram), dry coconut, tamarind pulp, jaggery, and a few spices. This thin tempered dal is popularly served with puran poli.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Soaking Time30

Total Time1 25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Author: Neha Mathur

Ingredients

To Cook The Dal

1 cup chana dal (Bengal gram)
3 cups water

To Make A Paste

1 tablespoon grated dry coconut
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds (til)
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini)
2 whole green cardamoms (hari elaichi)
2-3 cloves (laung)
2-3 whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)

For The Curry

2 teaspoons tamarind paste
2 teaspoons grated jaggery (gud)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)

For Tempering

1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
10-12 curry leaves
¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) skip for gluten-free recipe

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook The Dal

Wash the dal with water 2-3 times and soak it in 4-5 cups of water for 30 minutes.
Once the dal is soaked, drain the water and add the soaked dal to an instant pot.
Add 3 cups of water and close the lid of the instant pot.
Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 15 minutes on high pressure.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid of the instant pot.
Strain the cooked dal using a fine-mesh strainer and reserve the water for making katachi amti. Use the cooked dal to make Puran Poli. You can add a tablespoon of mashed cooked dal to the stock to give some body to the amti.
Note – To cook the dal in a traditional pressure cooker, cook on high heat for one whistle, then reduce the heat to low and cook for another 15 minutes.

Make The Ground Paste

Add dry coconut, sesame seeds, cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves, and black peppercorns to a pan and dry roast on medium heat until nicely browned, stirring continuously.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the roasted ingredients cool slightly.
Add the roasted ingredients to a blender jar along with ¼ cup water and blend to make a smooth paste.

Make The Amti

Add the dal water and the ground paste to a pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
Add tamarind pulp, jaggery, salt, Kashmiri red chili powder, and turmeric powder, and mix well.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5-6 minutes. Stir at regular intervals.
Add some water fi you like thinner amti and bring it to a boil once.

Temper The Amti

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and asafetida, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Pour the tempering over the amti and mix well.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with Puran Poli or Steamed Rice.

Video

Notes

You can also add onions to the tempering to make the amti more flavorful.

I cooked the dal in my 3-quart instant pot (or 3-liter pressure cooker). If you want to scale the recipe, use a 6-quart instant pot (or a 5 to 6 liter pressure cooker). The cooking time will remain the same.

Nutrition