A Passage to Indian Cooking, Part 2
Because I often work during the evenings, and it's hard to cook for just one, I tend to fix something on Sunday that will be serve as dinner throughout the week. I didn't think my 1 pound-worth of chicken tikka masala would quite suffice, so I decided to make lentils (dal) to go with it.
I found this recipe on The New York Times food page, and it seemed easy enough. It turned out quite well, too, though it's a little less flavorful than the dal I remember eating in India. Still, served over brown rice (I try to eat whole grains) with the chicken, it made a pretty yummy Indian meal. Maybe someday I'll try to master naan, too!
1/2 pound brown lentils, washed and picked over
1 small onion, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, cut in half
1 bay leaf
4 cups water (more if necessary)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
Chopped cilantro for garnish
1. Combine lentils, onion, garlic, bay leaf and water in a medium soup pot or heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the onion and garlic and discard. (I accidentally chopped the onions, so I just left them in).
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet, and saute the spices. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds, and remove from the heat. Add them to the lentils, and simmer 15 minutes. Serve garnished with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of cilantro.
I found this recipe on The New York Times food page, and it seemed easy enough. It turned out quite well, too, though it's a little less flavorful than the dal I remember eating in India. Still, served over brown rice (I try to eat whole grains) with the chicken, it made a pretty yummy Indian meal. Maybe someday I'll try to master naan, too!
1/2 pound brown lentils, washed and picked over
1 small onion, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, cut in half
1 bay leaf
4 cups water (more if necessary)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
Chopped cilantro for garnish
1. Combine lentils, onion, garlic, bay leaf and water in a medium soup pot or heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the onion and garlic and discard. (I accidentally chopped the onions, so I just left them in).
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet, and saute the spices. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds, and remove from the heat. Add them to the lentils, and simmer 15 minutes. Serve garnished with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of cilantro.
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