Varan Bhaat

Maharashtra's first course: plain split pigeon peas cooked soft with turmeric and asafoetida, poured over steamed rice with ghee and a squeeze of lemon

Origin: Pune & Maharashtra, India

From the journey of Pigeon Pea.

Varan is the plainest dal in India, and in Maharashtra that is the point of it. Split pigeon peas, tur dal, are cooked until completely soft with turmeric and a pinch of asafoetida, whisked smooth, and seasoned with little more than salt and, in many homes, a scrap of jaggery. Poured over hot rice with a spoonful of ghee and a squeeze of lemon, it becomes varan bhaat, dal and rice. Its simplicity is a mark of honour. Varan bhaat is the first course of a Maharashtrian wedding feast and of a traditional festival meal, and it is offered to the gods as naivedya before the meal is eaten. Its spiced and soured counterpart, amti, sharpened with kokum or tamarind and seasoned with goda masala, is served in the same meal; the two together are the heart of the Marathi table. Maharashtra has grown the pulse for a very long time. Pigeon pea is amongst the crops recovered from Tuljapur Garhi, a Chalcolithic village in the Amravati district of Vidarbha, dated to the middle of the second millennium BCE, and Navapur Tur Dal, from the Nandurbar district, received a Geographical Indication in 2016.

Ingredients

Varan

150 g split pigeon peas (tur dal), rinsed
0.5 tsp ground turmeric
1 pinch asafoetida
1 tsp jaggery, grated (optional)
0.75 tsp salt, or to taste

Rice

250 g short-grain fragrant rice, such as Ambemohar, or any white rice

To Serve

4 tbsp ghee
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

Put the tur dal in a pan with 600 ml of water, the turmeric, and the asafoetida. Bring to the boil, skim, and simmer, partly covered, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the dal is completely soft. (In a pressure cooker, allow three or four whistles.)
Whisk or mash the dal until smooth, add the salt and jaggery, and simmer for 2 minutes, adding hot water until it pours like thick cream.
Meanwhile cook the rice.
To serve, mound hot rice on each plate, make a well, pour in a ladle of varan, and top with a spoonful of ghee. Squeeze over lemon at the table and mix with the fingers or a spoon.

Notes

At a festival or wedding meal, varan bhaat comes first, before the vegetables, breads, and sweets. Some families add a green chilli or a few curry leaves to the dal as it cooks; others keep it to turmeric and asafoetida alone. Varan thickens as it cools. Loosen it with hot water before reheating.

The Gastrographer

Name: Varan Bhaat
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 150 g split pigeon peas (tur dal), rinsed; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric; 1 pinch asafoetida; 1 tsp jaggery, grated (optional); 0.75 tsp salt, or to taste; 250 g short-grain fragrant rice, such as Ambemohar, or any white rice; 4 tbsp ghee; 1 lemon, cut into wedges

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control