Khichdas/khichdras are thick legume-and-grain porridges. This one contains wheat, rice, pigeon peas, and yellow split peas. They also generally contain beef, goat, or both. This one just contains a relatively small amount of beef, but I think that goat would also be excellent in it (either instead or as well).

This was one of those almost "too simple" recipes that made me a little nervous. Because while it contains a lot of legumes and grains, it doesn't have that much in the way of seasonings. It's mostly just cumin. Cumin, ginger, and garlic. And a little cilantro and coriander. But that's not a whole lot to hang your curry on! No asafetida. Not even any turmeric! But, honestly, it was still great! Even with the limited spices. And the beef came out ultra-tender!

While I won't go so far as to say this is a new "favourite", it was very good. It may not be as tasty as some of the other curries in the book, but it has an impressive tastiness-to-effort ratio! And it's also very cheap to make. The most expensive ingredient is the beef. And you only need half a kilo of that. And cheap stewing beef works just fine. So you don't need to spend a lot of money on the meat for it. And, other than that, it's dried legumes, rice, and wheat! All very affordable ingredients. And it makes a huge amount. So it's a great dish for feeding a hungry crowd.

Khichda

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. cracked wheat
• 6 c. water
• 1/2 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1/2 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 1/2 c. long-grain rice¹
• 500g stewing beef
• 1/2 c. chile-ginger paste²
• 2 Tbsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1-2 tsp. black cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds³ (optional)
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/4 c. ghee
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse and drain the wheat thoroughly.
2. Add it to the water and allow to stand at room temperature for 6-8 hours.
3. Add the wheat and its soaking water to a slow cooker or InstantPot.
4. Add the pigeon peas, yellow peas, rice, beef, chile-ginger paste, masala, black cumin (and additional regular cumin, if using), and 1 tsp. of the salt.
5. Either slow cook on "low" for 6-8 hours or pressure cook on "high" for 1 hour. If pressure cooking, allow for a 15-minute natural release. When the khichda is done, the grains should be very soft and the beef extremely tender. The consistency should be similar to congee/jook.
6. Once the porridge is ready, heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
7. Add the cumin and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
8. Reduce heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook for a minute or two.
9. Add the garlic-y ghee and the remaining 1 tsp. of salt to the khichda and stir to mix.
10. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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¹ Iyer calls for long-grain white rice specifically. I reasoned that, given how long it cooks for, there's no reason why I couldn't use brown rice instead. So I tossed 1/2 c. of brown basmati into my khichda. It worked great! Would definitely do it that way again in future. ^Back
2 I use chile-ginger paste rarely enough that I don't bother keeping it on hand. For this recipe I just tossed 1/2 c. of store-bought ginger paste into the blender with 6 fresh green finger chilies and gave that a whiz. It did the job and saved me trying to find room for another jar in the fridge. ^Back
3 I find black cumin quite strong and don't like excessive amounts of it. Neither does TF. So when recipes call for blak cumin, I tend to scale it back a bit. For this one, I cut the black cumin back to 1 tsp. and then added an extra tsp. of regular cumin to compensate. ^Back

Kishmish Waale Chane ki Dal

I really liked this curry! The tomatoes, lightly caramelized onions, and sweet raisins (along with all the spices, of course) make for a delightful combination! Definitely a keeper.

Kishmis Waale Chane ki Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 4-5 c. water¹, divided
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3 Tbsp. ghee, divided
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1/2 c. golden raisins
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 Tbsp. cumin seeds²
• 1/2 tsp. black cumin seeds
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 4-6 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse and drain the peas.
2. Add 3 c. of the water, bring to a boil, and skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
3. Stir in the turmeric, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until almost tender (25-30 minutes).
4. Add the remaining 1-2 c. of water and continue to simmer until peas are tender and just starting to break down (~15 minutes longer).
5. Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp. of the ghee over medium heat.
6. Add the onion, raisins, and bay leaves and cook until onion is browned and the raisins are plump (~10 minutes). Transfer to plate and set aside.
7. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. ghee to the now-empty pan.
8. Add the cumin and black cumin and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
9. Add the ginger paste and the garlic paste and cook until colour darkens (2-4 minutes).
10. Add the tomatoes, chilies, salt, and masala and stir to combine.
11. Simmer until heated thorugh and peas are ready.
12. Stir tomato mixture into peas and cook until flavours blend (~5 minutes).
13. Stir in onion-raisin mixture and cilantro and serve.

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¹ The original recipe calls for six cups of water! Three for the initial cooking of the peas, then two that get added later, and one for the sauce. I thought this sounded like way too much, so I omitted the water in the sauce. The finished consistency was still a bit thinner than I would have ideally liked though. I think I would consider scaling the water back even further next time. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for one teaspoon each of regular cumin and black cumin. Neither TF nor I are huge fans of black cumin though, so I usually scale it back a bit and replace it with extra regular cumin instead. ^Back

Toram Paruppu Vadai (Pigeon Pea Fritters)

Here's yet another recipe that I made while in NZ, but didn't get around to writing up until well after I'd gotten back to Canada.

These are tasty little fritters with an interesting texture. I have to admit... they don't reheat super well and, even fresh, they weren't the star of the show, but they were still good. Especially with the sauce.

Toram Paruppu Vadai

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Fritters

• 1 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 2-4 dried red arbol, Thai, or cayenne chilies
• 1/4 c. yellow split peas (chana dal), soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
• 1/4 c. finely chopped onion
• 1/4 c. finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida (hinga)

Sauce

• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomato
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse and drain the pigeon peas.
2. Fill a pot halfway with warm water and add the pigeon peas and chilies. Cover and soak for 1-4 hours.
3. Drain the pigeon peas and chilies and transfer to a food processor.
4. Process to form a somewhat gritty paste and transfer to a bowl.
5. Mix in the soaked split peas, onion, cilantro, salt, and asafetida.
6. With greased hands, shape ~1 Tbsp. of the paste into a tight, round ball. Press into a flattened patty ~1cm thick.
7. Repeat with remaining paste to make ~2 dozen patties in total.
8. Pour some frying oil into a wok and heat to ~180°C (350°F).
9. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels.
10. Once oil is ready, slide a few patties into the hot oil.
11. Fry, turnning occasionally, until they're nicely browned all over (5-7 minutes).
12. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and place on the paper towel lined baking sheet.
13. Repeat with remaining patties.
14. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, salt, and water and mix well.
15. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
16. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until seeds stop popping (30-60 seconds).
17. Add the tomatoes, chilies, and cilantro and cook, uncovered, until heated through (~5 minutes).
18. Stir the tomato mixture into the yogurt mixture.
19. To serve, place a few fritters on a plate and spoon a generous portion of the sauce over them.

This is basically a dal. A very Anglo dal, but still mostly a dal: a soup of legumes cooked with aromatics and curry powder with a bit of roasted squash tossed in for good measure. If it were an Indian-style dal, the legumes would be cooked in water rather than broth. And the spices would probably not involve an Anglo-style Madras curry powder. And the peas would probably be cooked in a pressure cooker to get the desired soft texture rather than puréed with a blender. But the overall concept is still there. It's just had a few of the details changed around.

Curried Split Pea Soup with Kabocha Squash

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 small kabocha squash (~500g)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
• 3/4 c. yellow split peas¹ (chana dal)
• 2 1/2 c. vegetable stock
• 1/2 c. pumpkin or sunflower seeds, toasted
• 1/2 c. sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
2. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the guts, peel the halves, and chop into 2cm cubes.
3. Toss the squash with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Roast at 200°C (400°F) until tender (30-40 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium heat.
6. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
7. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
8. Add the curry powder and split peas and toast for ~2 minutes.
9. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
10. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.
11. Simmer until peas are tender (~35 minutes).
12. Once peas are tender, partially purée with an immersion blender.
13. Add roasted squash and cook until heated through (~5 minutes).
14. Serve topped with toasted seeds and a dollop of sour cream (if using).

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¹ I think this would also be great with skinned split pigeon peas (toor dal). Although you'd likely need to adjust the cooking time somewhat as I think they generally cook a bit faster than split peas. ^Back

Cholar Papeeta Dal (Green Papaya Dal)

I still had a kohlrabi languishing in the fridge that needed using. And after the success of using kohlrabi as a green papaya substitute in the past, I decided to give it another go with this split pea and "papaya" dal. that said, if you have neither papaya or kohlrabi, Iyer suggests several possible alternatives. Rutabaga (turnip/swede), potato, and sweet potato are all suggested as viable substitutes in this instance.

Cholar Papeeta Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 3 1/2 c. water, divided
• 450g green unripe papaya (or kohlrabi, rutabaga, potato, or sweet potato), peeled and diced
• 4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, halved lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 tsp. panch phoron
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies, stems removed
• 1 tsp. Bangala garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of 1 lime

Directions

1. Rinse the split peas well and drain.
2. Add 3 c. of the water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat.
3. Skim off any foam that forms, then add the papaya and fresh chilies.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas are almost tender (~30 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
6. Add the panch phoron and sizzle for 15-30 seconds.
7. Add the onion and dried chilies and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.
8. Add the garam masala and turmeric and stir-fry for another 10-15 seconds.
9. Add the remaining 1/2 c. of water and deglaze the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.
10. Once the peas are almost tender, uncover the pot and increase heat to medium-high.
11. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the peas are tender (~10 minutes).
12. Add the onion mixture and the salt and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.
13. Stir in cilantro and lime juice and serve.

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Variants

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 3 1/2 c. water, divided
• 450g green unripe papaya (or kohlrabi, rutabaga, potato, or sweet potato), peeled and diced
• 4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, halved lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp. mustard or canola oil
• 2 tsp. panch phoron
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies, stems removed
• 1 tsp. Bangala garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of 1 lime

Cholar Dal (Chickpea Dal)

The convenience store down the street is wonderful. They're always well-stocked with all manner of useful things. They have a little bit of everything. They have all the usual convenience store fare, of course: chips, pop, candy, lotto tickets. But they also have a small selection of office and school supplies, hardware and tools, and grocery items above and beyond what I'd normally expect for a convenience store, including various spices and dried legumes! The last time I went, they even had a couple of whole coconuts in stock. So I bought one because, well, why not?

TF cracked it open yesterday and we all snacked on it a bit and stashed the rest in the fridge for later. And then I remembered this recipe. One of the only ones in the book that Iyer absolutely insists on fresh coconut for. Many other recipes suggest fresh coconut, but offer reconstituted dried as an alternative -- not so this one!

We're not in the habit of regularly buying coconuts, so I figured now was a good time to get this curry made.

Iyer actually wrote this one using yellow split peas (chana dal). However, as far as I can tell, "cholar dal" actually refers to split chickpeas (also called chana dal). It's all a little confusing and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that both are regularly used for this dish in India. I made it with split peas this time, but I think I'd like to try it with chickpeas next time.

Cholar Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. yellow split peas (or split chickpeas)
• 3 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3 c. boiling water
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
• 2-4 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh coconut

Directions

1. Rinse the legumes well.
2. Place in a pot with 3 c. of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Skim any foam off the surface, stir in turmeric, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~25 minutes.
4. Increase heat to medium, uncover, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the water has been absorbed.
5. Stir in 1 c. of the boiling water and cook until it's been mostly absorbed (5-10 minutes).
6. Repeat with remaining water, adding it 1 c. at a time.
7. Stir in sugar, salt, and cayenne.
8. Melt ghee over medium-high heat.
9. Add cumin and sizzle for ~10 seconds.
10. Pour hot ghee and cumin into the dal.
11. Stir in fresh coconut and serve!

Mung Chana nu Dal (Mung Bean and Yellow Split Pea Dal)

This dal was a big hit with everyone. The sweetness from the jaggery comes through really well. And the tomatoes and mustard seeds complement it very nicely.

Mug Chana nu Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. skinned split green lentils (mung beans/moong dal)
• 1/4 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 3 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. ghee¹
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2-1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 425mL diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c. chopped jaggery
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 15 fresh or frozen curry leaves

Directions

1. Rinse the legumes well and drain.
2. Add the water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat.
3. Skim off and discard any foam from the surface of the water, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, for ~40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
5. Add the mustard seeds to the hot ghee, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
6. Remove from heat and add the cumin seeds, salt, cayenne, asafetida, and turmeric. Stir to combine the spices with the hot ghee.
7. Add the tomatoes, jaggery, cilantro, and curry leaves and return to medium-high heat.
8. Simmer the tomato mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Set aside until legumes are cooked.
9. Once the legumes are done, stir in the sauce and cook over medium heat for nother 5 minutes.
10. Serve with rice and/or flatbreads.

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¹ You can swap out the ghee for oil or vegetable ghee to make this dish vegan. ^Back

Split Pea Soup with Indian Flavours

This split pea soup recipe comes from the "contemporary curries" chapter of Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries. The recipes in this section include fusion dishes from various regions -- Anglo-Indian mulligatawny, Indo-Chinese Hakka noodles, etc. -- as well as many of Iyer's own unique creations. This soup appears to be one of the latter.

I enjoyed this soup served over some leftover gatte ki tehri. It went with the dumplings particularly well. That said, I think I'd probably tweak it's not one of my favourites and I think I'd probably tweak it a bit next time. I'd like to try substituting flavourful ghee for the more neutral canola oil. I'd I think it'd also be interesting to swap out the dairy tang of yogurt with the citrus tang of lime + a bit of coconut milk. Hmm... or maybe even just leave out the dairy/coconut milk altogether and add a swirl of yogurt on top of each serving... That could be nice! I'd also be tempted to toss a few more veggies in with the peas. And to chop the tomato smaller and forgo the puréeing step at the end. I know that's a lot of changes. It's basically a whole different soup at that point. But sometimes that's what cooking is all about. Sometimes you find a recipe you really like, sometimes it's a flop, and sometimes you find something that has the potential to become something you really like.

Indian Split Pea Soup

Adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 onions, 1 chopped, 1 halved and sliced thin
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 c. yellow split peas (chana dal), rinsed and picked over
• 4 1/2 c. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 (5cm x 2.5cm x 3mm) pieces of fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 fresh green Thai or cayenne chilies, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• juice of 1 lime

To Serve

• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 Papads, toasted and crushed
• 1/4 c. Fried Onion

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the carrot, celery, chopped onion, and garlic and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
3. Add 1/4 tsp. of salt as well as the pepper and split peas.
4. Add 4 c. of water and bring to a boil.
5. Skim off any foam, reduce heat, cook, covered, stirring occasionally for 25 minutes.
6. Meanwhile heat ghee over medium-high heat.
7. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for 15-20 seconds.
8. Add sliced onion, ginger, and chilies and stir-fry for ~5 minutes.
9. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes.
10. Add turmeric, tomato, remaining 1/2 c. of water, and remaining 1/2 tsp. of salt.
11. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tomato is cooked and sauce-like (~5 minutes).
12. Add the tomato mixture to the peas and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for another 15-20 minutes.
13. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.
14. Serve topped with yogurt, cilantro, crushed papads, and fried onion.

Vengayam Adai (Multi-lentil pancakes with onions and tomatoes)

These aren't really pancakes in the sense we usually mean the word in Canada; they're savoury, a bit spicy, and best served as accompaniment to a curry, although you can eat them on their own (and they are quite tasty). Served with curry they're great either as a side dish, or topped with curry and eaten that way.

As written the recipe calls for just chopping the onions and stirring them into the batter; symbol and I both think it would be much improved by browning the onions first, since they don't really get a chance to brown while the pancakes are cooking.

These are really at their best right off the stovetop; the batter will keep in the fridge for at least a week, so if you don't want a full batch, prefer to refrigerate the batter and cook more as needed rather than cooking a batch of pancakes and reheating them.

Multi-lentil pancakes with onions and tomatoes

660 Curries

Ingredients

• ½ C long-grain white rice
• ¼ C chana dal (yellow split peas)
• ¼ C moong dal (skinned split green lentils)
• ¼ C toovar dal (skinned split yellow pigeon peas)
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 4-6 dried red chiles, stems removed
• 2-4 fresh green Thai chiles
• 1 C plain yoghurt
• 1 C finely chopped red onion
• 1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped
• ¼ freshly chopped fresh cilantro
• 25-30 curry leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground asafetida

Directions

1. Combine rice and all three dals in a medium-size bowl. Fill halfway with water, and rinse the legumes by rubbing them between your fingertips; the water will become cloudy. Drain the water and repeat until the water becomes relatively clear.
2. Drain, then fill the bowl halfway with warm water and add the coriander seeds and dried chiles. Cover and let it sit at room temperature until the legumes soften, 1-4 hours; then drain.
3. Combine the legumes, fresh chiles, and 1 C water in a blender jar. Blend until they form a slightly gritter batter.
4. Return the batter to the bowl; stir in the yoghurt, onion, tomato, cilantro, curry leaves, salt, and asafetida.
5. Heat a bit of oil in a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour ½ C of the batter into it and spread it out with the back of the ladle to form a flat circle (it's too thick to flow out on its own). Cook until small bubbles start to form on top and it loses its sheen, ~5 minutes, then flip and cook the other side, 2-4 minutes. Eat immediately.

Muttaikose Usli (Chopped Cabbage with Yellow Split Pea Sauce)

This recipe turned out to be both faster and more complicated than it looks on the page. Faster, because Ayer calls for gently soaking the split peas and chiles in hot water for hours, a process that can be greatly sped up by the use of boiling water; more complicated, because we didn't have a food processor, and while in many cases you can get away with using a blender, that's an approach this recipe strongly resisted.

For the sake of brevity in the body of the recipe itself, I've left that step as it was in the book. We don't have a food processor, and had to make do with an immersion blender; by putting the chana dal in a tall, narrow container and repeatedly pushing the blender down over it -- and adding about a third of a cup of water back in, which made me wish I'd reserved some of the water we'd softened it in -- we were eventually able to reduce it to the paste the recipe called for. (The added water didn't seem to hurt it any.)

If all you have is a stand blender, you're probably doomed.

One enduring mystery is the "yellow split pea sauce" mentioned in the title. While yellow split peas do feature in the recipe, it barely has any sauce at all, and the titular peas are used to make tasty, but solid, inclusions scattered throughout the curry.

Muttaikose Usli

660 Curries

Ingredients

• 1 C yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 4-6 dried red Thai, cayenne, or (for a milder curry) Kashmiri chiles, stems removed
• ½+½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground asafetida
• 2 tbsp corn oil
• 1 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp skinned split black lentils (urad dal)
• 4 C finely chopped cabbage
• ½ tsp cayenne
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 12-15 fresh curry leaves
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Put the chana dal in a medium-sized bowl. Cover with water and rinse by rubbing them through your fingers; drain.
2. Add the chiles and pour boiling water over the contents of the bowl until completely submerged. Cover and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
   (Now is a good time to prepare the cabbage and get the rest of your ingredients ready.)
3. Drain the chana dal and chiles. Place them in a food processor and process to form a slightly gritty paste. Return to the bowl and fold in the asafetida and half the salt.
4. Lightly grease a steamer basket (or line a bamboo steamer with waxed paper, then grease that). Spread the paste evenly into the basket and steam until a knife inserted into the center of the past comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Remove the now solid paste disc and set aside to cool.
5. While the disc is cooling, heat the oil in a pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and cover until the seeds stop popping, ~30 seconds.
6. Add the lentils and stir-fry until they turn golden brown, 15-20 seconds.
7. Add the cabbage and continue to stir-fry to coat the leaves in the oil and soften them slightly, ~2 minutes.
8. Add the remaining salt, along with the cayenne, turmeric, and curry leaves. Stir them in and add 1 cup of water; remove from the heat and set aside.
9. Once the dal cake is cool to the touch, break it into ~pea-sized chunks. Stir them into the cabbage mixture and cook, covered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has been absorbed, ~15 minutes.
10. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Chana Toor Dal Fry (Yellow Split and Pigeon Peas with Onion and Garlic)

This is so, so tasty! I just finished a big bowl of it and I'm thinking about going back for seconds.

As a meal, it's somewhat lacking in the vegetable department. But if you just need something warm and comforting to sit and enjoy, this dal is where it's at! And if you want to make a more balanced meal of it, I think a simple veggie-rich curry and maybe some vegetable-stuffed paratha would go very nicely.

I love how this came out. The pressure cooker gives the peas a wonderful creamy texture while the tomatoes add a fresh juiciness. And the huge quantity of garlic and generous helping of ghee don't hurt in the flavour department either! Definitely a welcome treat.

Chana Toor Dal Fry

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. yellow split peas
• 1/2 c. skinned split yellow pigeon peas
• 3 1/2 c. water, divided
• 1/4 c. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 fresh green Thai chilies
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine both kinds of peas and rinse them thoroughly.
2. Add to pressure cooker along with 3 c. water.
3. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes and then allow the pressure to subside naturally for at least 15 minutes before opening the cooker.
4. Meanwhile, heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
5. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they stop popping (30-60 seconds).
6. Add onion, garlic, and chilies and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add salt, cumin, fenugreek, and turmeric and cook for another minute or so.
8. Add the tomato, cilantro, and remaining 1/2 c. water and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
9. Add the sauce to the legumes (or vice versa) and stir to combine.
10. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
11. Serve with whatever vegetable sides you prefer as well as flatbreads (naan or paratha work well), lime wedges, and/or hot pickles.

Rasa Vadai (Lentil Fritters in Spicy Tamarind-Lentil Broth)

This curry has a lot of moving parts and definitely isn't something I'd want to attempt on a busy weeknight. It is quite tasty though and it's very satisfying to watch the fritters puff up as they fry. And it was a huge hit with the Kidlet. She wants us to make it all the time now!

Rasa Vadai

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredients

Fritters

• 1 c. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/urad dal)
• 3/4 c. water, divided
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• oil for deep frying

Broth

• 1/4 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 6 c. water, divided
• 1/2 tsp. + 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 Tbsp. uncooked long-grain white rice
• 2 Tbsp. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 2-3 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chiles
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste or concentrate
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 1 medium tomato, cored and chopped
• 15-20 fresh curry leaves
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Fritters

1. Rinse the lentils several times, then cover with warn water and let stand at room temperature for 1-4 hours.
2. Drain.
3. Add to blender jar with 1/2 c. water and purée, scraping down sides of blender as needed.
4. Transfer batter back to empty bowl.
5. Pour 1/4 c. water into now empty blender jar and run blender to rinse out any residual batter. Add this watery mixture to the batter in the bowl.
6. Stir in salt.
7. Using spatula, vigorously beat batter for 2-3 minutes to work in as much air as possible.
8. Pour 2-3" of oil into a wok or Dutch oven and heat to ~180°C (350°F).
9. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over. You can probably cook 8-10 at a time depending on the size and shape of your vessel. Try not to overcrowd the fritters though.
10. Once cooked, remove the fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Broth

1. Rinse the pigeon peas several times.
2. Combine pigeon peas with 2 c. water and bring to a boil, uncovered. Skim off any foam that forms.
3. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tsp. oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add rice, split peas, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, peppercorns, and chiles and cook until browned but not burnt (2-3 minutes). Immediately transfer to plate to cool.
6. Once toasted spice mixture is cool, transfer to spice grinder and finely grind.
7. Combine the tamarind paste with 4 c. water and mix well.
8. Add ground spice mixture, salt, turmeric, asafetida, tomato, and curry leaves.
9. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
10. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered for 15 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, tansfer cooked pigeon peas and any residual cooking liquid to blender and purée.
12. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
13. Add mustard seeds and cover. Cook until mustard seeds stop popping (30-60 seconds).
14. Dump mustard seeds and oil into tamarind broth.
15. Stir pur&eacue;ed pigeon peas into broth.
16. Add cilantro.

Assembly

1. Once broth and fritters are all cooked, place a few fritters in a bowl or soup plate and ladle a generous quantity of broth over them.
2. Serve immediately.