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Channa Dal with Curry Leaves

2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 green chili, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 cup channa dal, rinsed and soaked in water

2 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

Juice of one lime

1 teaspoon ghee or oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 to 7 curry leaves

1 teaspoon garam masala

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat a medium pressure cooker with the oil. Add the onion, garlic and chili. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato and sauté for 2 minutes on medium heat. Drain the dal and add to the sautéed onion. Add the water, salt, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Bring to a boil and cook under pressure for 20 minutes. Take the lid off once the pressure has subsided. Continue to cook on medium heat. Add the  lime juice and check for seasonings.

In a small frying pan, add the ghee, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes till the cumin seeds begin to sizzle. Transfer the cumin seeds and curry leaves to the cooking dal. Mix well and add the garam masala and fresh cilantro. Serve warm.

Dal Makhani- Black Lentils with a Cream Sauce

Diwali is coming up and this is a must in our house… people typically make this lentil dish for a special occasion but it is so simple… you can make it any day you want… yum!

  • 1 cup whole urad dal (black lentils)
  • ¼ cup rajma (red kidney beans)
  • ¼ cup channa dal (gram lentils)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, minced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon ghee or butter
  • 2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 3 tablespoons half and half

In a pressure cooker or sauce-pan, add the urad dal, rajma, channa dal, water, crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, salt, cayenne pepper, coriander powder, turmeric and ghee. If using a pressure cooker, then close the lid and cook on high till the pressure is built, then turn the heat on low and cook for an hour. Turn the heat off, and take the lid off- check the consistency. The dal should be like a thick soup or a think stew. If there is excess liquid, then turn the heat on high and begin to evaporate the liquid. Add the garam masala and half and half. Cook till the dal reaches desired consistency. Taste for seasonings.
If using a sauce-pan, then bring the mixture to a boil and lower the heat, cook for at least 2 hours or till the lentils are soft and mushy. Add the garam masals and half and half. Cook till the dal reaches desired consistency. Taste for seasonings.

Masoor Dal (Pink Lentils)

Hello Meatless Monday! This is a yummy, easy dish to make with rice… I am reposting some really old recipes… nice to see the old stuff again..

  • ½ cup pink lentils
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 cloves crushed garlic
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • Salt to taste

Tempering

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/3 cup tomatoes chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped

Add the lentils in 3 cups of water in a heavy pan.  Add the garlic, turmeric and salt.  Bring to a boil and let it simmer until the soft and mushy, about 15-20 minutes.

On the side in a small skillet, heat the oil. Add cumin, onion and tomatoes.  Saute till onions are soft and mixed in with the tomatoes.

Add the tempering into the cooking lentils. Adjust salt and add the chopped cilantro.

Minted Masoor Dal

I love simple lentil dishes. It reminds me of home- comfort food. I like using the pink lentils the most as they cook really fast and are delicious. I served these lentils with the cauliflower in the past. This is a perfect complement to the veggies as the lentils provide a good amount of protein without cooking any meat- if you don’t want to. I recently decided to go vegan twice a week. Mondays and Tuesdays are my day to stay away from meat and all meat products. I certainly don’t want to give up any kind of food, but I think reducing the amount of meat we eat is a great idea. The good thing is that Indian food lends itself to a vegan lifestyle. If you are not eating vegan, by all means use butter or ghee to finish off the dish- it brings a whole lot of nutty flavor to the lentils and makes them delicious. The other important ingredient in this dish is dried mint. You must try this dish- it is one of my favorite…

  • 1 cup masoor dal
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 garlic cloves, mashed
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • Salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried mint
  • 2 teaspoons oil, ghee or butter

Add the dal, water, garlic, turmeric and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or till the lentils are soft. Add the dried mint and oil/ghee. Cook till it reaches desired consistency. Check for seasonings and serve with rice.

Moong Dal with Spinach (Lentils with Spinach)

Moong Dal with Spinach This is a great dish to make through the week. It is simple and quick. Especially since I used these particular lentils- moong. They take all of 15 minutes to cook up. I have quite a few lentils in my pantry which is great when I don’t have anything else to cook.

I made these simply with some turmeric, salt and garlic. I let the lentils cook for a while and then added the frozen spinach- another thing I have on hand- it is extremely versatile and easy to use.

While the lentils were finishing up, I heated up some ghee (butter can be used instead) and added cumin. I added the mixture to the lentils and that was it. I served the lentils with some rice and it was a delicious weeknight meal. Everyone loved it.

Make these lentils through the week- they don’t take long at all.
read more …

Brown Lentils with Fennel Seeds

brown-lentils-with-fennel-seeds These lentils are really delicious and easy to make. I used a few ingredients that are more prevalent in Kashmiri cuisine. I used fennel seeds and black cumin seeds. Fennel seeds are usually used for both sweet and savory dishes. I love the flavor it imparts in the savory ones. It gives them a very floral, earthy taste and aroma. It is one of my favorite spices to use. I especially love it in tea.

For these lentils, I started by cooking them in chicken broth. Typically lentils in India are cooked in water but I have been using chicken broth. I like it because it imparts extra flavor without a lot of effort. I added ginger, salt and turmeric.

The lentils don’t take very long to make. Once they became soft, I added sauteed fennel and cumin seeds. I tasted for seasonings and cooked the dal for another few minutes before I turned the heat off. I then added some low fat sour cream to finish off the dish. It provided a nice tang and delicious creaminess without a lot of calories. I served the dal with some rice and it was a great meal.

The fennel and cumin flavor came through clearly in the dish. It is a bit different and delicious- definitely try the brown lentils with fennel seeds…
read more …

Moong Dal- Yellow Lentils

moong-dal This is the most popular lentil dish on my Dad’s side of the family. I grew up eating it all the time- to the point that I don’t like to make it very often. Actually I do make it once in a while but I never  the way my Mom does.

She would cook the lentils in water, turmeric and salt. Sauteed onions were the most important part of the tempering. They were chopped and cooked on a medium fire with ghee until they turned chocolate brown. The lentils were topped with the onions and garam masala was sprinkled on top- thats it – that is how it was made every single time. Part of me understands looking forward to the same dish, made the same way every time- I do that- I have the same breakfast every day. Somehow with these lentils- I want a change but as you probably noticed, I did sprinkle the garam masala on mine as well- I love the flavor and it finishes the dish off really well.

I like making it with ginger while the lentils are cooking and then topping it with an onion and chili. It is quite similar to the one I grew up with but still a bit different. It is great with rice or as a side dish with a vegetable or a meat. It is even great as a soup!

  • 1 cup moong dal
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 inches ginger, grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric

Tempering

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion- diced small
  • 1 serrano chili- chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Add the dal, water, ginger, salt and turmeric to a medium deep pan.
Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium. Stir occasionally and cook till the lentils
are soft not too mushy, about 10-12 minutes.
In the meantime in a small frying pan, heat up the olive oil and add the onions and serrano chili. Stir and cook on medium heat till the oinions are golden brown. Add the onion and chili mixture to the lentil pan. Add the garam masala and cayenne pepper. Taste for salt. Serve with rice.