Lentils and Pulses... are they breeding? (Chana Dal)

One thing about living in India is the amazing range of vegetarian dishes that are on offer. For many families all over India many meals consist of rice, dal, chappati and a vegetable sabzi. Lentils and pulses feature in many dishes so I've bought them as needed for a dish.

And I swear they're now breeding. They seem to have taken over so many tubs in my kitchen that I find it difficult to find a tub to put anything else in. In fact, I've bought two extra sets of tubs, still not to have any spare when I really need one!

I have rajma, chana dal, kabuli chana, vatana, urad dal, tur dal, moong dal, moong beans, chawli and others... The thing with dried pulses is that quite often you have to soak them overnight... which means being organised and prepared. Even when I really fancy a pulse-y dish and don't have any soaked, I still don't soak them so I can make the dish tomorrow - I'm useless!

So in an attempt to use up some of my pulse collection, I've been looking up recipes. One I've come across is Spicy Chana Dal, cooked by a really sweet woman on YouTube! Added bonus - it seems pretty simple to cook. Her name's Madhura and you can see her video here.

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Her written recipe doesn't match the video, so I've replicated the recipe here. I hope it's good, coz it's gonna be my dinner tonight!

Madhura's Spicy Chana Dal:

1 cup chana dal
2 cups water
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon rai (mustard seeds)
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
a few cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chilli powder
salt to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
coriander leaves to garnish

1. Wash the chana dal then soak in 2 cups of water for 2 hours. Do not discard the water, it will be used to cook the dal.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil. Once hot add the rai and jeera and allow to crackle.
3. Add onions and garlic and saute until golden
4. Add garam masala and chilli powder and saute until oil separates. This will take a few minutes.
5. Add chana dal, soaking water and salt. Mix then pressure cook for 4 whistles.
6. Reduce the heat and continue to cook for 10 minutes (to make sure the chana dal is properly cooked).
7. Turn off the heat and allow to cool, so no pressure remains.
8. Add sugar and stir through allowing to dissolve.
9. Serve with chopped coriander to garnish.


I'm looking forward to trying Madhura's recipe :)

***Edit: I tried it, and it was YUMMY! But mine turned completely to mush. When I make this again, I'll just cook for 4 whistles and then check it out before deciding whether to cook further... you live and learn! :D

I don't just spend my time cooking, I'm also learing to crochet, which I'm loving! You can check out my crocheting exploits at Claire' Crochet Quest. I do spend a little time every Sunday putting together my posts for my blogs.

I'm also into journalling - I always liked the idea of keeping a diary when I was younger, but journalling is more me and Janel has kickstarted my journalling through her 30 day challenge and Leigh-Ann has some great journalling tips.

I also spend time out walking my dog, enjoying the world go by. Let me interest you with a few photos of my morning...

Well, here's to a fab week ahead! LML

A quick Veg Pulao - coz I'm too busy learning to crochet!

So this week I finally went and got the stuff I need to learn to crochet (hook, yarn - not a very long list!) and spent hours on-line watching videos and downloading 'how-to' guides. So with my new-found desire to crochet and going to work everyday, I haven't had much time for cooking.

I've still had time to take Coco for walks, and sit quietly in the garden watching her explore. I've seen 6 different types of butterfly all brightly coloured like someone splashed paint all over them. I've seen the owl, swooping low, silently flying along my road in the wee hours. I've had time to read sections of the 3 different books I've got on the go at the minute. I've also had time to start my new blog - Claire's Crochet Quest! :)

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Recently I've definitely been in a rice mood, which is quite unusual for me. So several times this week I've resorted to variations on this dish - Vegetable Pulao. It's really simple to make in the pressure cooker. So here goes...

Vegetable Pulao

1 tablespoon Oil / Ghee
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) seeds
1" piece cinnamon stick
2 laung (cloves)
2 elaichi (cardamom) pods
2 black peppercorns
a few curry leaves
1 carrot, finely chopped, length-ways
1 handful french beans, chopped into 1.5cm pieces
1 potato, copped into small cubes
1 handful peas (fresh or frozen - I prefer to use fresh, but can't get any at the moment)
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 green chilli, halved and deseeded
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
salt to taste
1 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for an hour
360 ml water
fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

1. heat oil / ghee in the pressure cooker. Add jeera, cinnamon, laung, elaichi, peppercorns & curry leaves. Fry until jeera splutters.
2. Add carrot, french beans, potato and peas and cook for a few mins, stirring every now and then.
3. Add ginger paste and green chilli and cook for a few minutes more.
4. Add haldi, chilli powder, salt, rice and water. Mix well.
5. Pop the lid on the pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool until the pressure releases.
6. Open and serve with coriander

And it smells soooooo good when you open the lid - especially if you use ghee.
You can make this without a pressure cooker, but it'll need more water and more cooking time. Obviously you can put different veggies in too. It's good with cauliflower, and onion comes out suprisingly good - sweet and soft. If you're extra lazy, you can use pre-cut veg too!

Must dash... got more crochet to do :)