Oh man, this was good. I referenced some recipes on the internet beforehand, but here's roughly what I did. Rinse and boil red lentils to not quite mush (transluscent on the edges). In fat (I used butter, ghee would be most authentic I guess, some recipes called for oil but where's the fun in that), roast spices: cumin, tumeric, mustard. Sautee in ginger, garlic, onion, sliced chili, salt. Add cooked beans (monitor how much water goes in with them, depending on the consistency of beans when added and the final consistency you're aiming for) and sliced tomato. Simmer until soupy and soft. I was missing a lot of ingredients (mustard, chili, tomato, cilantro) but it still came out good. To compensate for the missing cilantro, I added a bit of coriander to the spices. I missed having soft slices of tomato floating around; that with green cilantro would have made for beautiful presentation. Best over basmati (I ate it with leftover brown rice). Indians are experts at vegetarian food. Dal curry's my favorite: basic, homey, delicious. OK Jasun we're three for three. Granted, your entries are multi-part meals whereas mine are only one or two dishes. Still, I'm not posting anymore until you do!
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3 comments:
Whoa. That's a challenge, if I ever heard one. By happy happenstance it is Sunday, my cooking day, so let's see what I can muster up ..
But about your dal curry, it sounds quite pleasant .. a good array of spices, at least! Here is where my ignorance presents itself: how do coriander and cilantro differ? Are they different plant species altogether?
It took me awhile to sort out the cilantro/coriander thing. They are the same thing entirely, but I was raised eating the green thing called cilantro and then looking for its seeds in the spice section but finding only something labelled coriander. So personally I've been using one name for the green and the other for the seed, although really either works.
A similar confusion I hope I've finally sorted out: anise is the same thing as fennel, and anise seeds are fennel seeds. However, star anise, featured in Chinese food, is a completely different thing altogether.
Addendum:
Regarding the curry: put tomato in if you can! I did miss that little touch of sweetness.
Another Indian accompaniment: raita! I love raita over basmati. I think it could just be yogurt, but here's a possible mix: yogurt, cilantro, mint, green onion, grated carrots and cucumber. Mix and let flavors meld. (If you ever expand out of vegetarianism to include fish, raita is delicious over salmon with basmati, as I am eating now).
Additional challenge: instead of plain basmati, how about vegetable briyani! Briyani is an Indian rice dish that I've never quite gotten right, but I haven't given in to comparing my guesses with recipes on the internet yet. It has raisins and nuts and bits of veggies in it, a tomato-yogurt based softness that clings subtly to the rice, and complex flavor from the spices. (So far my guesses have been edible, and rather nice, just not accurate). Anyway I think raita over briyani is a complete meatless meal. If you ever make briyani puh-lease give me a call! :)
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