#black dal

[themodernhusband]

Gunpowder plot

Gunpowder Seasoning.

A grey dawn was spreading over the sky like cold soup across formica as Maya poked me in the face to wake me up. She has to walk past Bee’s side of the bed to get to me, and I always wonder why she doesn’t just ask her whatever inanity she’s bound to come out with before seven o’clock.

With her question dealt with, I lay there, thinking about the important issue of the…

View On WordPress

[monimargo]

Kaali Dal (Black Lentils)

I’d been looking for a recipe to make one of my favorite Indian dishes, Dal Makhani, at home. But I stumbled onto this less-rich black lentils dish ... and loved it. It’s so warm and filling, without being heavy. There’s a lot of flavor going on here. You might not even miss the meat! Here’s my adaptation.

Ingredients (4-6 servings)

1/2 cup dry kidney beans

1 cup whole urad beans (black dal)

3 ripe tomatoes, puréed

3 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 small red onion, cut in half lengthwise and then cut into thin slivers

2 tsp red chile powder (pure ground chiles, not the “chile powder” blend)

Olive or coconut oil

4 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp minced cilantro

Rinse the kidney and urad beans well, pick out any stones or shriveled beans. Add the beans to a crockpot and cover with warm water by at least three inches. Allow to soak overnight (at least 8 hours). Drain and rinse the beans. Cover with hot water and cook on high for 6 hours (but no longer than 8).

When the beans are tender and cooked through, heat a dutch oven or deep pot on the stove to medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp of butter and fry the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes. Add the tomato purée and a few pinches of salt and cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes. Add the cooked beans and most of their liquid to the pot. Stir and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After the 15 minutes, add salt to taste.

In a small skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of olive or coconut oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook, stirring, for 60-90 seconds or until very fragrant. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the onions and sauté, 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and well browned. Stir in the chile powder and cook another minute or so. Add the onion spice mixture to the beans, along with the last two tablespoons of butter and the minced cilantro. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring often, and adjust salt to taste.

Serve over brown basmati rice. I sautéed some spinach in coconut oil and turmeric as a side, and topped it all off with raita, but plain Greek yogurt also works.

[veggiezest]

Dhaba Dal - Mixed Lentils

Dhaba Dal – Mixed Lentils

A very happy new year to all of you from veggie zest. I have been MIA for a little bit now, mostly because of work and also because its been insanely cold in Delhi. Lack of sunlight restricts me from taking pictures….and I hate gloomy weather. This recipe happened on one of the lucky days when the sun was out.

Before I get into talking about the recipe, I would like to give you a small brief on

View On WordPress