Dalcha Goshth (Hyderabadi Sour Lentil Meat Soup/Curry/Stew)

I've been missing my childhood Indian summers with ripe and fragrant mangoes at almost every meal, play time with my best friend all day, reading adventure books all evening, drinking buttermilk and sleeping an inch in front of the water pumped air cooler.

Something else that defines Indian summers for me is eating lunch at my best friends house instead of the lunch my mother prepared for me because they had an amazing cook that made hyper regional Hyderabadi food. We'd eat foods like dalcha (sour lentil soup/stew), chugar goshth (tamarind leaves & meat curry) and mahkhaleya (sour meat stew), all dishes that I loved dearly. I miss that.

As a poor substitute, I've been cooking Hyderabadi dishes at home to evoke those memories and soothe the homesickness. This dalcha I've prepared here is a very tangy tomato-y meat-lentil stew that gets its sourness from both tomatoes and tamarind. The opo squash gets almost 'pickled' from all these souring agents and tastes amazing. I remember my brother and I fighting over the squash pieces as a kid anytime my mother prepared this for us.

The lemon curry leaf rice is from Ottolenghi's cookbook and is the perfect accompaniment to this dalcha with its spiced rice that is fragrant with cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves. The rice gets a drench of ghee and lemon juice at the end that takes it to a new level. Enjoy!

Dalcha recipe adapted from Zaiqa, Mona's Blog & Lemon Curry Leaf Rice from Ottolenghi
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
200 gm/1 cup toor/tuvar dal, rinsed well
4 cups water
2 sprig curry leaves, divided use
2 tsp turmeric, divided use
4 tsp sea salt, divided use
1 tbsp/3 tsp tamarind concentrate, divided use (or if extracting tamarind pulp, then about 1/3 cup of extracted water)
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 large yellow onion, diced
10 garlic cloves, minced
2" piece ginger, minced
10 serrano chilis, minced (alternately, process garlic, ginger and green chilis in a food processor till it's a fine mince. No need to get it to a paste)
800 gm/1 lb 12 ounces tomatoes, chopped
500 gm/1.25 lb goat stew meat with bones
800 gm/1 lb 12 ounces opo squash, peeled, seeds removed and flesh cut into wedges

Procedure:
In a 3 quart saucepan, bring toor dal, water, 1 sprig curry leaves and 1 tsp turmeric to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the lentils break down and form almost a puree. This might take anywhere between 30-60 minutes. Add 1 salt and 2 tsp tamarind concentrate and mix it in. Se aside.
While the dal is cooking, heat oil on medium high in a wide saucepan (about 5-6 quarts) and add cumin seeds; Once they turn brown (about 30 seconds), add onions and cook while stirring constantly till brown, about 5-8 minutes. Add the rest of the salt (3 tsp/1 tbsp) and rest of the turmeric (1 tsp). Mix it in and add the garlic-ginger-green chili mince and sauce for 30-60 seconds till the garlic is toasted. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes till they become jammy. Add goat meat and mix it in. If there's enough water to cover the goat stew 2/3rd of the way through from the tomatoes, then don't add water. If there isn't enough, add 1/4 to 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low for 1 to 1.5 hours till the meat is tender. Add the opo squash, 1 tsp tamarind concentrate and a little bit more water if there isn't any in the meat stew. Cook on low heat, covered, for about 15-20 minutes till the squash is tender. Add the reserved dal/lentil to this and cook for five more minutes till the flavors become cohesive. Add 2-4 cups water to make it super soupy if preferred. That's how it's eaten in Hyderabad, India. But if you prefer a thicker stew, you can leave it as is. This is best served with rice. Enjoy!