dal/curried lentils

There are a million ways to make dal and everyone swears that their version is the best. Whether you agree with them or not depends on how much you like that particular lentil (see: lentils 101), the ingredients used to flavour the dal, how mushy or true to form the lentil stays, and a host of other factors.

Because it is inexpensive, easy to make, fills you up quick, and nutritious, dal features everyday for most Indians. As a child, dal was boring food, a punishment of sorts; now, it’s become a comfort food that quells a sudden bout of homesickness. Mama made dal several different ways to mix it up and keep us from complaining, but this recipe is my favourite one of them all. You can refrigerate it for 5-6 days at the most, but do not freeze it unless you don’t care as much about it getting mushy when reheated.

INGREDIENTS

Masoor dal (split red lentils), 1 cup

Green chillies, 6, sliced

Turmeric powder, ½ tsp

Water, 3 cups

Ghee or butter, 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds, 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp

Ginger, 1 tsp, minced

Salt, 1 tsp

Coriander leaves, ¼ cup, chopped

Yields ~6 servings.

DIRECTIONS

Rinse the lentils in several batches of water until it runs clear, and all of the starch and dust are washed away. Add the lentils, green chillies, turmeric, and water to a pot, stir to mix, and cover with a lid.

Cook on medium flame for 15-20 minutes, checking every now and then to ensure that the lentils do not overcook.

While the lentils cook, heat the ghee or butter in a small frying pan on medium flame. Add the cumin and roast for a minute. Then add the ginger garlic paste and the ginger bits and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Once the lentils are cooked, add the spice tempering to the pot, stir and let the dal simmer for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the coriander leaves.

Serve with steaming basmati rice, Indian breads, or drink it like you would lentil soup (watch out for the chillies though!)

lentils 101

Lentils are one of the healthiest foods you can eat: they are a source of protein, iron, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and are low in fat. The Indian subcontinent’s populace is mostly vegetarian and lentils are a staple in their diet. Dal (Sanksrit for “to split”, also spelled daal or dahl) refers both to lentils as well as the curried form that is tempered with spices.

Source: natures-health-foods.com

There are more than 50 varieties found in India and, in general, the word dal refers to kernels that are split in half rather than in whole. You can find the most popular ones (listed below) in any Indian grocery store in NYC, though Trader Joe’s has started to carry green and red lentils.

• Chana dal is the one of the most popular lentils in India. Though they are almost identical, a closer look will reveal that the dull yellow chana dal has a much coarser texture than yellow split lentils, which have a rounded (almost polished) exterior, and are cheaper and less healthy. Be wary when you are buying this dal as retailers tend to cut corners by passing off the cheaper twin as the real thing. Chana dal is made from black chickpeas that have been decorticated and split in half and owes its wrinkly exterior to the chickpea. It doesn’t boil quickly nor does it get mushy easily. Infamous for causing flatulence, adding a pinch of asafoetida while cooking tends to help.

• Toor dal, the other popular dal in India, is a split yellow pigeon pea. Pigeon peas have tan skins but they are usually sold skinned and split. They are much flatter in appearance than chana dal, have a mild flavour, and are used to make sweet and savoury dishes.

• Masoor dal is my favourite lentil. Though they are called split red lentils because of their red-orange colour, when cooked, masoor dal turns yellow. They cook the fastest of the lentils and get mushy if overcooked.

• Urad dal is much like an oreo cookie: dark skin and white within. They can be used whole (black), split (black and white), or skinned and split (white) with the intensity of their earthy flavour decreasing in that order.

• Moong dal or mung bean, much like urad dal, can be used whole (green), split (green and yellow), or skinned and split (yellow). They are smaller and thinner than other lentils, cook very quickly, and are easily digested. Moong dal is fried and dusted with salt to make a popular snack in India.

Generally, lentils can be stored for up to a year in a cool, dry place. They do not need to be soaked, unlike dried peas and beans, but they must be rinsed several times to remove dust and sediment that may have snuck in. A common mistake most people make is to boil lentils in salted water – salt and acidic ingredients cause the lentils to cook much slower. Lentils generally need between 10 and 40 minutes to cook, depending on the quantity of course: smaller lentils that have been de-husked take less time (and are more susceptible to turning mushy when overcooked), while bigger and older lentils take more time. In the Indian subcontinent, lentils are generally served with rice or wheat-based breads.

aloo paratha/potato stuffed flatbread

This Indian flatbread takes a bit of time to make but it is delicious enough to make it worth the effort. I’ve eaten it for breakfast, lunch, as a mid-afternoon snack, an appetizer before dinner, and for dinner (on different occasions, of course! Okay, maybe I’ve eaten them compulsively for all three meals before; don’t judge!)

Aloo parathas freeze well after they’ve been cooked and can be thrown straight from the freezer into a pan to be reheated (no need for extra oil). I can easily bolt three parathas for dinner, which means that one round of this recipe doesn’t last very long. If your appetite is as healthy as mine, I recommend toiling the extra hours to make this recipe in double so that you have some saved for a lazy day.

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes, 6, medium

Cumin seeds, ½ tbsp

Cumin powder, 1 tsp

Coriander powder, ½ tbsp

Turmeric powder, ½ tsp

Chilli powder, ½ tsp

Garam masala, 1 tsp

Chaat masala, 1 tsp (optional)

Salt, 1 tsp

Ginger paste, 1½ tbsp

Garlic paste, 1 tbsp

Onions, 2, minced

Coriander leaves, 3 tbsp, minced

Green chillies, 2, minced

–

Wheat flour, 2½ cups

Salt, 1 tsp

Water, 1 cup + more if needed

Oil, 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds, 1 tsp

–

Wheat flour, for dusting

Oil or ghee, for frying

Yields 18 parathas.

DIRECTIONS

Boil the potatoes in cold, salted water until they are cooked but still firm. Let them cool to room temperature, peel the skins, and then freeze for 15 minutes while you prep the dough.

Add the flour to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the salt in. Add the water, wet your hands, and knead the dough until it is soft, elastic, and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. Depending on surrounding humidity, you may need a bit more water which you should add a tablespoon at a time (I used a little under 1¼ cups of water to get a smooth dough). Form fistfuls of the dough into small balls, about 1½” in diameter. Wet a kitchen towel and cover the balls of dough while you work on the potatoes.

Remove the potatoes from the freezer and grate them evenly (I used the large-hole size of a standard grater) into a large mixing bowl. Add all of the powdered spices to a small bowl, blend them well, and then sprinkle the mixture over the grated potatoes. Add the ginger and garlic pastes, onions, coriander leaves, and chillies, and toss up well so that the potato bits are coated evenly. Form fistfuls of the potato stuffing into small balls, about 1½” in diameter.

Pour a little flour for dusting into a small bowl and keep within reach on your work surface. Dust a clean, smooth wooden surface with a little flour. Flatten one dough ball at a time between the palms of your hands. Sprinkle a little flour on both sides of this flattened dough and roll it out so that it is large enough to wrap around the potato stuffing, about 6-7” in diameter. Keep picking up and turning the disk while you roll it out to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the surface; dust the surface with more flour as needed.

Place one potato ball in the center and wrap the dough around it, pinching the top where the dough comes together in order to seal the ball. Using your palms again, gently flatten this ball, sprinkle a little flour on both sides, and lightly roll it out to about 6” in diameter. Be careful not to let the potato burst out of the dough while you roll it (if it does, sprinkle a little flour over it so that it doesn’t break off later and then continue to roll it out).

Set the rolled out aloo paratha aside, and then repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough and stuffing. Stack the parathas up with wax paper between them to prevent them from sticking to each other.

When you are ready to fry them, pour a few drops of oil or ghee into a frying pan on low-medium heat. Fry each side of the paratha for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of butter, yogurt, or spicy South Asian pickle (I am partial to Mother’s Recipe mango pickle; you can find it and many other varieties at  Indian grocery stores).

ricotta gnudi with sage brown butter sauce

Gnudi (nu-dee), which means nude in Italian, are much like gnocchi except that they aren’t cloaked in pasta shells. Because their primary ingredient is ricotta (unlike the generally potato-based gnocchi), gnudi are light and fluffy just like your favourite pillows are. Except that they go in your mouth and not under your noggin.

If you want flavoured gnudi, add puréed spinach, pumpkin, or butternut squash to the ricotta, or your favourite pesto. Though I’m sure you can use other veggies you love, remember to choose flavours that the earthiness of the sage brown butter sauce will complement (unless of course you decide to spoon marinara over your gnudi instead). As long as whatever veggie you add doesn’t take away from the thick consistency of the ricotta (and you can roll the filling into small balls), you should be good to go.

INGREDIENTS

Ricotta cheese, 1 lb

Parmesan, 3 cups, finely grated

Eggs, 5

Nutmeg powder, 2 tsp

Pepper powder, ½ tsp

All-purpose flour, 1 cup + more if needed

Chives, ¼ cup, minced

Semolina, 1 cup

Butter, 6 tbsp

Sage leaves, 18

Yields 6 servings.

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, nutmeg, and pepper. Use grand, circular motions while whisking so that the mixture is airy. (If you are adding a vegetable, mix it with the ricotta first, and then add the parmesan, eggs, nutmeg, and pepper.)

Sprinkle ½ a cup of flour at a time into the ricotta mixture and whisk to incorporate. If you find that the mixture is still too sticky to roll easily, whisk in a tbsp of flour at a time until it rolls clean. Finally, stir in the chives.

Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1” in diameter, and then gently flatten to form a small disk. You should get about 45 gnudo. Pour the semolina in a shallow plate. Bury each disk in the semolina to coat, and then unearth the gnudo.

Line a Tupperware with wax paper and lay the gnudi flat in layers, using wax paper between each layer so that they don’t stick to each other. Refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to cook them, remove the gnudi from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Carefully drop as many gnudi can rest at the bottom of the pot without sitting on top of each other. Let them cook until they float, about 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.

In a saucepan or skillet that does not have a non-stick coating, melt the butter and let melt on medium heat. When it begins to get foamy, add the sage leaves and stir for about 15-20 seconds. Remove from the heat source immediately to prevent it from burning or getting bitter.

Arrange the gnudi on serving plates and drizzle the brown butter sauce over them. Garnish with the fried sage leaves and sprinkle more parmesan over them if desired.

roasted beef or pork

To most Indian palates, any food that doesn’t have some spice in it is generally unappetizing. There was a point when I first moved away from home eight+ years ago that I would add chilli powder or hot sauce to almost everything I ate. I don’t do that all the time anymore, but there are some foods that I grew up eating that just don’t satiate me because, though they share the same name, they’re made so differently. The roast meat I know is the way Mama made it (on the stove top in a spicy broth until the meat dried out), not the thin, bland slices you find at delis. I guess what you are familiar with tends to be the way you like it.

Since I discovered a few months ago that my iron was low and was advised to eat more red meat and iron-rich foods, I’ve tried to increase the amount of meat in my otherwise vegetarian-gravitating diet. Enter roasted beef/pork: it keeps well for a long time and you can eat it many different ways. I sliced up the beef and shredded the pork, and served the beef on a whole-grain flatbread with mixed greens, fresh salsa, and yogurt,  and the pork in buttered Kaiser rolls. You could also toss them into salads or serve on the side of rice or quinoa.

INGREDIENTS

Beef/pork, 2 lbs

Dry red chillies, 10, broken in pieces

Ginger, 1”, minced

Peppercorns, 1 tsp

Cinnamon, 3” stick

Cloves, 1 tsp

Chilli powder, ½ tbsp

Turmeric powder, 1 tsp

Salt, 1 tsp

Vinegar, 2 tsp

Water, 2¼ cups

Yields 6-8 servings.

DIRECTIONS

Mix all of the spices and water in a heavy-bottomed pot. Cut the meat into 2-3 large chunks and arrange them around the pot.

Cover the pot cook the meat on very low heat. After about 60-75 minutes, remove the meat from the broth and let it cool for a few minutes. Also remove as much of the spice sediment from the broth as you can.

Slice the meat up fairly thin and along the grain (or against the grain if you prefer less chewy meat). If you are going to shred it later, you can cut it up in smaller cubes rather than fuss over slicing.

Return the sliced/cubed meat to the broth, turn to heat up to high and let the broth evaporate. Stir every few minutes to make sure the meat doesn’t burn at the bottom. When very little (a tablespoon or two) of broth is left at the bottom, turn of the heat and let the meat absorb the remaining liquid while it cools. Remove any stray spice sediment (the seeds from the chillies aren’t potent anymore and because they’re too hard to remove, I let them stay).

You can serve the meat as is, sliced, or shred the meat with a fork.

honey and beer spareribs

I got my first taste of true southern barbeque when in St. Louis last summer for MW + GE’s wedding: we got to Pappy’s at 10:30 am, a whole half hour before they opened, and made a beeline to join the already insanely long line. Close to an hour later, we tucked into delicious ribs and then had some pulled pork packed for the plane ride back to NYC. Yes, it was that good. I was beyond excited when I heard that Pappy’s would be at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party (when barbeque joints from all over the US set up shop in Madison Square Park for a weekend) later that summer and braved the thousands-strong crowds to get another taste. The rest of the year, I satiate my barbeque cravings at NYC’s Blue Smoke; it’s not southern but it’s pretty darn good.

I’ve been dying to try making spareribs at home, and asked Mama for her recipe for honey and beer ribs that she makes on occasion. The spareribs you get in India are quite scrawny so I’ve adapted her recipe for longer cooking times. I experimented with adding a cocktail of barbeque sauces leftover from Blue Smoke (a combination of all of their sauces: sweet, smoky, and spicy) that were lying in my fridge to the mix. For my adapted recipe, I recommend finding a barbeque sauce you love, and adding a splash or two of your favourite hot sauce to it.  Since smoking the ribs for 14 hours over cherry wood a la Pappy’s is not an option, Mama’s recipe got to inaugurate my first Le Creuset pot (a Christmas present from TV & LJ!)

INGREDIENTS

Spareribs, 3¼ lbs, separated

Oil, 3 tbsp

Pale lager, 1½ cups

Honey, ½ cup

Mustard powder, ½ tsp

Chilli powder, 1 tsp

Lemon juice, 1 tbsp

Salt, 2 tsp

Barbeque sauce, ½ cup

Yields 4 servings.

DIRECTIONS

Split ribs into three or four batches and pan fry each batch with about 1tbsp of oil until the ribs are lightly browned.

In a heavy-bottomed dish, add the beer, honey, mustard and chilli powders, lemon juice, and salt and mix well. Add the fried spareribs to the pot, cover with a tight lid and cook on low heat for 90 minutes.

Pick the ribs out of the sauce and set aside. Carefully skim as much of the fat from the broth as you can and discard. Stir the barbeque sauce into the broth, and turn up the heat to high. Stir regularly until the sauce reduces to a thick consistency.

Turn on the oven on its broiler setting. Line a baking sheet large enough to fit all the ribs on with aluminium foil.

Returning each rib at a time to the sauce, toss it around to coat.

Place the ribs a little apart from each other on the lined baking sheet. Broil on the top rack of the oven for 7-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Serve with any of the traditional southern accompaniments: green beans, mac & cheese, baked potatoes, cornbread, etc.

chilli prawns

The difference between prawns and shrimp confused me until I cared enough to Google it. Growing up, we called the juicy fellas prawns and the teensy (generally dried) ones, shrimp. At some point I began to think that the difference between prawns and shrimp lay in the English language: prawn was British and shrimp, American. Turns out that there are both, structural and semantic differences: prawns are indeed larger, look and function differently, while the prawn vs. shrimp debate depends on which type of English you speak.

Mama would make these chilli prawns on occasion and they would disappear in a hot second. This recipe is my second favourite way of eating prawns, second to bacon-wrapped prawns that is.

INGREDIENTS

Prawns, 1 lb, uncooked, shelled and de-veined

Vinegar, 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder, ¾ tsp

Chilli powder, 1 tsp

Oil, 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp

Onions, 2, large, finely sliced

Salt, 1 tsp

Yields 4 servings.

DIRECTIONS

Rinse the prawns and squeeze to remove excess water. Cut them in half if they are very large; you want bits that are about 1” long. In a mixing bowl, toss them up with the vinegar, turmeric and chilli. Let them marinate for about 30 minutes in the fridge.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok. Pick the prawns out of the liquid and stir fry until they are translucent and almost cooked. Return the prawns and all the liquid that sweats from them back to the mixing bowl.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the same wok. Fry the onions on high heat without much stirring until they start to caramelise.

Add the liquid from the mixing bowl to the onions and let it heat up. Return the prawns to the wok, sprinkle the salt over, and mix together. Stir occasionally as the liquid starts to get absorbed and the mix starts to dry out. When the onions and prawns are reduced, they are ready to eat! Serve it with hot rice, pita bread, or in a bun.