Malaika Arora is a fitness icon for a reason. The mother of one, who is currently capturing everyone's attention with her new show "Moving In With Malaika," has never advocated for starvation. She is a big food buff with a soft spot for all things regional and local. Her mother, Joyce Arora, is a home chef herself who often feeds the actress delicious South Indian food. But on Tuesday, Malaika decided to add some Maharashtrian tadka to her diet. She shared an image of Maharashtra’s famous comfort food, Varan Bhaat, which she paired with Aloo Longche. "Varan+Bhaat+Aloo+Longche=Foodgasm," she wrote in the caption.
What is Varan Bhaat, you ask? Well, for the uninitiated, Maharashtrian cuisine is renowned for its bold, spicy flavours, but for days when you are craving something mild, appetizing, and comforting, you seek solace in Varan, a Maharashtrian no-fuss dal made with tur and split moong dal. This plain yellow dal has a simple tadka of green chillies, garlic, curry leaves, and mustard seeds. The yellow dal is often paired with plain white rice, called "bhaat." Aloo Longche refers to sliced potatoes smeared in hot spices that are deep-fried to add a much-needed punch to the simple dish. Alternatively, you can also add some homemade pickles to the mix.
Here is a delicious recipe for varan bhaat that you can try today. To make this dal, you just need to pressure cook tur and split-moong dal and then further cook it with onions, green chillies, and cumin seeds. Add a tempering of red chillies, garlic, curry leaves, and mustard seeds to finish it off, and mix it well. Reduce the amount of red and green chilies to make them less spicy. Do let us know how you liked it, and do not forget to share the pictures. Pair the Varan with steaming hot rice and finish it off with a dollop of ghee for the best experience.
