Dal Korma (Lentil Korma)

I've had chicken korma and vegetable korma, but I'd never tried a legume-based korma before. This curry smelled divine. And it tasted pretty good. But it wasn't one of my favourites. That said, I would like to revisit it at some point. I think it could be improved. I think cutting back on the amount of water used to cook the lentils would definitely help. I found it way too soupy and would've preferred a thicker curry. I also wonder if upping the nuts and cream would improve matters. And, of course, using the full amount of chilies would've been nice too, but I scaled them back in an attempt to please the Kidlet's palate.

If I was looking to make even more changes, I think the next step would be adjusting the spices. I think some cloves would probably go nicely. And maybe either a piece of star anise or a black cardamom pod. I might also be tempted to toss in a dried Kashmiri chili and stir in a bit of ghee along with the cilantro right at the end of cooking.

Dal Korma

Adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. whole brown lentils (sabud masoor)
• 1/2 c. whole mung beans (green lentils/sabud moong)
• 4 c. water, divided
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 2 (7cm/3") cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves (optional)
• 1-2 black cardamom pods (optional)
• 1/4-1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1/4-1/2 c. raw cashews
• 1/4-1/2 c. slivered almonds
• 1-2 fresh green Thai chilies
• 2-3 Tbsp. ghee, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the legumes and pick them over for stones.
2. Add them to the pressure cooker along with 3 c. of the water, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves and black cardamom (if using).
3. Pressure cook (on high setting for InstantPots) for 25 minutes, then allow for a 15 minute natural release.
4. Meanwhile, pour the cream into a blender. Add the cashews, almonds, and chilies and puree.
5. Melt 2 Tbsp. of the ghee over medium heat.
6. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 10-15 minutes.
7. Add 1/2 c. of the water and deglaze the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.
8. When legumes are done and pressure has been released, stir in the contents of both the blender and the pan.
9. Pour the remaining 1/2 c. of water into the blender and swish it around to rinse it out. Pour this mixture into the pressure cooker with the beans as well.
10. Cook (use low sauté setting on InstantPot) for 5-10 minutes.
11. Stir in cilantro and remaining 1 Tbsp. of ghee and serve.