Daineiiong with Jastem (Dal in Black Sesame Paste with Flavored Rice)

Today I am posting a recipe from Meghalaya. Every day this month I will post a recipe from a different state in India.


Meghalaya which means ('Megha' or cloud and 'alaya' or home) abode in the clouds, It is one of the states in Northeastern India. It is a border state bordering Myanmar.


As with most of the states in the region there was very little exposure in mainstream India until a decade ago. That is changing as different parts of the country organize food and cultural festivals focused on the Northeast. Migration from these states to other states for better jobs has also improved contact among people. Their web presence is growing slowly.


It was hard to find a recipe for Meghalaya not because there are none on the web but because most of them are not vegetarian. I found a description of some of the well known recipes from the Khasi tribe of Maghalaya here. While it is easy to cook rice from a description it can be challenging to cook other dishes. I found references to Daineiiong which is a dal based vegetarian version of a curry cooked in black sesame seed paste. When I found the recipe for the corresponding non-vegetarian dish here I knew I had my dal recipe. Daineiiong with Jastem is a really dal rice Khasi style.

Daineiiong
You will need
1 cup tur dal
3 tbsp. black sesame seeds
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. ginger garlic paste

Pressure cook the dal. Roast the black sesame seeds and grind to a paste with water. In a pan heat the oil and add the dal, ginger garlic paste and sesame seed paste. Simmer until all the ingredients are well combined. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

I had to tweak the dal a little. As a Maharashtrian my taste buds are used to a balance of flavors. I added a little sweet, a little heat and some lime juice to balance the taste of the ginger and garlic.

Jastem
Boil a cup of rice (I used brown basmati) with 2 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric and a half teaspoon salt. Cook the rice until the water evaporates completely. Serve with Daineiiong.

Comments

  1. isnt it interesting the way we all have dug in recipes from these states..truly admire everyone for the search..like the daal rice version you chose.

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  2. Daineiiong & jastem seem to be a perfect combination. I wonder how the black sesame seeds taste. Never used it before..

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  3. Both the dishes look very nice together with the flowers..:) are they from your garden?..Daineiiong was something I just couldn't understand though I was looking at the list..very well adapted..

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  4. I wanted to try the black sesame paste...but couldn't , yours looks so good

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  5. Initially i want to make jastem but dropped that idea coz i wasnt sure about the taste, but with that dal i think this jastem would have tasted good na.

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  6. so homey and so earthy looking dishes!!! love them both

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  7. we all do a little bit of tweaking.. i certainly do most of the time.. nicely done

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  8. Very interesting dhal rice combo. Snaps are so nice..

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  9. Two very simple and delicious dishes from Meghalaya.

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  10. two delicious dishes from Meghalaya . Well unless we tweak it how will it be liked at home? I loved the snaps.

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  11. meghalaya style rice dal looks good

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  12. Comforting rice and dhal combo,sounds healthy and inviting....

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  13. Dal chawal is comforting whichever state it comes from :) Lovely dishes!

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  14. Such a new combo for this state.Very well made and beautifully presented Varada...

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  15. very delicious combo from this state, jastem and dal looks very tempting :) very well presented dear !!

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  16. You found interesting combo dishes from the region. Kudos to you.

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  17. Oh yes I remember how tough it was to get a veggie dish in this cuisine! ! You have found an interesting combo!!

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