Gujarati Dal

1 cup toor dal

1/2 cup masoor dal

1/2 tomato, chopped in big pieces

1 chilli, chopped

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp chilli pwdr

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin pwdr

1/2 tsp coriander pwdr

mustard and jeera seeds, for seasoning

Cook dal with 2 cups water in a pressure cooker with the tomato, chilli, salt. Once cooked, open cooker and mash dal with additional 2 cups water. Put it back on the stove, and bring to a boil. Add the chilli, turmeric, cumin and coriander powders, lime juice and sugar. Once boiling, season with mustard and jeera seeds in oil.

Dal Makhni - the Easy version

This hearty dal is easily my favorite lentil! Enjoy it with jeera rice.

Serves 4-6

1 cup split urad dal, soaked for 1 hour

1/4 cup rajma (red kidney) beans (I used a can)

1 tomato, pureed

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 green chilli, cut into pieces

1/4 tsp red chilli pwdr

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 cup milk (i used skim, but the heavier the better)

1 tsp butter

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp oil for tempering

In a pressure cooker, add the soaked urad dal, rajma, pureed tomato, ginger-garlic paste and the green chillies. Add the red chilli pwdr and cumin pwdrs to the dal, along with 2 cups water. Pressure cook everything for 15 minutes. When the steam has released, you can open the cooker and mash the dal to a smooth consistency. At this time, add the milk and butter, and bring to a low boil. Temper with a tadka of oil and cumin seeds. Serve hot.

Sambare

A unique feature of Konkani cuisine is the use of ground fresh coconut in dal. Here is one example, which is one of my favorites. It is best enjoyed with white rice and a simple vegetable.

1 cup toor dal, soaked for 1/2 hour

1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr

4 tbsp blanched spinach, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

COCONUT MIX:

3 tsbp fresh/ frozen coconut

1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted in oil

3 red chillies, roasted in oil

2 tbsp tamarind paste

Grind the coconut mix to a fine paste in a blender using a little warm water. In a pressure cooker or over low heat, cook the dal along with turmeric. When cooked, mash the dal well an add the cooked spinach to it. Boil the dal well, and add the coconut paste mix to it. Add salt per taste, and check for sourness. The dal should have a mild sour taste; if more is desired add more tamarind. Cook for about 5-8 mins more.

To temper the dal, heat 2 tbsp oil in a separate vessel and saute the garlic for 3-4 mins. Add this to the dal at the end.

Remember not to cook the dal for too long after the coconut mix has been added as this can cause the coconut to spoil.

Tomato Saar

Safiya has been politely requesting, for some time now, that I post this recipe and I'm finally getting around to it. Some background, then. Saar is a Konkani (and perhaps other languages as well) word for soup or broth. It is made in a variety of ways (and, as with a number of Sarasvat dishes, has a habit of tasting slightly in every household) and this particular Saar has been a favorite in my family for at least a few generations (my grandfather loved it). The most prominent tastes in this recipe are the sweet-sour taste of tomato and the distinct flavor of coconut milk. I should point out that it's been ages since I consulted the actual recipe for this dish - so my version may not actually be the right one.

Ingredients

4-5 tomatoes

14 oz can of light coconut milk - I think the original recipe asks for less but I like the coconut flavor

2 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 fresh green chilies (feel free to add more or less depending on your tolerance)

1 tsp salt (but again, add more or less depending on your tastes)

For Tadka

8 - 12 Curry Leaves

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tbsp oil/ghee

Start by washing and boiling the tomatoes whole in enough water. As they boil tomatoes tend to split their skin and I usually take them off the stove and run cold water when the skin starts to peel off. Once a little cooler the skin peels of quite easily.

Toss the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend all of it till it's all one color. It can take a little while for the cumin seeds to completely blend so you may need to have the blender going for a while.

Pour the resulting soup into a vessel and bring it to a boil. Add some water to thin the blend - I usually add water at about 1:1. As it heats up make the tadka (heat the oil or ghee for a minute or so then add mustard seeds, once they start to pop add the curry leaves and heat for a further few seconds) and carefully mix it in the soup. It's a good idea to let it all simmer for a little while once the tadka is added until the tomatoes taste cooked.

The saar goes well with rice (though it may need a little extra salt when mixed in) and is also a great warm drink just by itself.

Variations: It might be a good idea to experiment a little with the sweet and sour tastes in saar - I have often added sugar or tamarind to balance some flavors.

Indian-Spiced Lentils with Kale

All the rage about Kale these days led me to this quick, non-fussy recipe at Cooks Illustrated. A good introduction for those who are intimadated by Indian cooking.

Serves 4

1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed (I used Masoor Dal)
1 tsp table salt
1 pound kale, stemmed, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp yellow mustard powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1) Rinse the lentils well and strain.

2) In a medium saucepan, add lentils, 6 cups of water and salt and bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes.

3) Reduce the head and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the lentils are tender, but still hold their shape.

4) Add kale to the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

5) In a skillet, heat butter over medium heat.

6) Add the coriander, cumin and mustard powders and red pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute

7) Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute or until softened and fragrant.

8) Add the lentils and kale and the reserved cooking liquid and simmer for 5 minutes.

9) Adjust seasings as needed.

10) Serve hot with rotis or rice.

This can easily be made into a soup by adding more liquid and adjusting the salt and spices, accordingly.

Cabbage with Mustard Seeds and Moong Dal

I love simple Indian recipes which don't take up all evening to prepare!

Source: Camellia Panjabi's excellent 50 Great Curries of India

For the Cabbage:

1 medium sized cabbage finely shredded

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1 green chilli, chopped (this made it quite spicy)

1/2" piece of ginger, chopped

ten curry leaves

1/3 tsp of sugar

Soak the shredded cabbage in water with a little salt for 15 minutes. I think this helps to retain the crunch of the vegetable.

Next, heat oil in a pan and ad the mustard seeds. When the start spluttering, add the chilli, curry leaves and chopped ginger and saute for 1 min. Add the cabbage, salt and sugar. Saute, mixing all the ingredients well. Cook uncovered, otherwise the cabbage tends to get watery and limp. It took about 1o minutes before my cabbage was done.

For the Moon Dal:

1 cup moong dal

1 large tomato, chopped

1 green chilli

1" piece of ginger chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric pwdr

3-4 cloves

a handful of cilantro leaves chopped (I had run out but the dal still tasted great)

curry leaves

Wash the dal well and soak for 1/2 hour (this really reduces the cooking time).

In a large pot, add 5 cups of water, moong dal, tomatoes, chilli, ginger, garlic, cloves, turmeric pwdr, and salt. Allow the dal to boil till it is done (20-25 minutes). When done, remove from heat. For a tadka, heat oil in a ladle and fry the curry leaves for 1-2 minutes. Add this to the dal, and mix well. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.