AambaDaL

आंबाडाळ- The month of Chaitra (The first month of marathi new year) starts and this dish is savored in almost every Maharashtrian's home. The auspicious beginning of gudhipadava brings in a lot of changes in the  atmosphere; the major one being arrival of raw mango. It is the best solution to beat the heat. A lot of dishes prepared this season include Methamba, Panhe, udadamethi and my favorite Ambadal

Ingredients
1 cup chanadal/Bengal gram/yellow split peas
2 green chilies
salt and sugar to taste
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves

1 green mango/raw mango/कैरी
2 tsp freshly grated coconut(optional)

Tempering
1 tbl sp oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp asafoetida

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Method

• Wash and soak chana dal in 2-1/2  cups of water for 3-4 hours.
• Wash and peel off the skin of raw mango. Grate it on a grater.
• Grind coarsely the soaked dal with green chili, salt and sugar.( do not drain the dal completely before grinding)
• Transfer the ground dal in a bowl. Mix in grated raw mango, chopped coriander leaves.
• Heal oil in an iron ladle or लोखंडी पळी and add mustard seeds. As the seeds splutter,add asafoetida and turmeric powder. Turn off the gas. Let the oil cool completely.
• Mix the cooled tempering mixture with grated dal mixture.
• Garnish with freshly grated coconut if you like.
• Serve with raw mango juice or पन्हे