I didn't love this and probably wouldn't bother making it again. That said, the Kidlet really liked it, so it might be worth keeping the recipe on hand for her sake if nothing else.

Bean Dip

Slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

Dip

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cans (~400mL each) chili beans
• 3/4 c. enchilada sauce
• 1/3 c. sour cream
• 1 c. grated cheese

Toppings

Pick 2-4

• Roma tomato, diced
• avocado, diced
• feta or cotija cheese, crumbled
• green onion, chopped
• fresh cilantro
• lime juice
• sour cream

Directions

1. Melt butter in and oven-proof skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft and translucent (3-5 minutes).
3. Add beans and enchilada sauce and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Mash.
5. Stir in sour cream and half the cheese.
6. Top with remaining cheese and broil until melty and bubbling (3-4 minutes).
7. Serve with tortilla chips and desired toppings.

Thenga Paruppu (Coconut Lentils)

I haven't been feeling up to doing much cooking lately and my days have been pretty helter-skelter, so I can't really do much advanced planning either. That makes dals like this ideal for the days that I do manage to get it together enough to cook something.

Thenga Paruppu

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. mung beans (sabud moong/whole green "lentils")
• 3 c. water
• 1-2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 small (400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1-2 fresh green serrano or finger chiles, cut into 5mm slices
• 1 c. shredded fresh coconut (or 1/2 c. dried coconut, reconstituted)

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse the mung beans.
2. Place in pressure cooker with water and pressure cook (on high) for 20 minutes followed by a 15-minute natural pressure release.
3. Meanwhile, heat the ghee over medium heat.
4. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until seeds have stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
5. Add the onion and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
6. Add the ground mustard and fenugreek seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
7. Add the salt, tomatoes, cilantro, turmeric, curry leaves, chiles, and coconut and stir to combine.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until tomatoes are softened (~5 minutes).
9. Once beans are cooked, stir the sauce into the pot and simmer until flavour meld (~10 minutes).

Menalina Saru (Peppery Pigeon Pea Stew)

I've been exhausted lately and Reiver is fighting a cold, so I threw together this simple dal for dinner last night. It takes very little effort and can be made entirely from pantry ingredients. And Iyer notes that the woman who gave him the recipe said that her mother used to make it for her whenever she got a cold, so it seemed particularly appropriate for the occasion.

Photo goes here.

Menalina Saru

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toor/toovar dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 4 cloves garlic (or 4-5 tsp. garlic paste)
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2-5 dried red cayenne or Thai chilies
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the pigeon peas well.
2. Add the peas to a pot with the water and bring to a boil.
3. Skim any foam from the surface, add the tomatoes, and allow to return to a boil.
4. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, add the cumin seeds, peppercorns, salt, and garlic to a food processor or molcajete and process into a damp, gritty blend. (Or, alternatively, grind the cumin, pepper, and salt in a spice grinder and then stir them into some garlic paste.)
6. Heat the ghee over medium to medium-high heat.
7. Add the chilies and toast until slightly blackened.
8. Add the garlic mixture and stir-fry until garlic is browned and mixture smells fragrant.
9. Once the peas are tender, stir in the garlic mixture.
10. Simmer, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes to marry the flavours.
11. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. (Preferably over rice with your favourite flatbread.)

Lasoon Urad chi Dal (Garlicky Black Lentil Dal)

This is a very simple, fairly quick-cooking dal of skinned split black lentils (mapte beans). Iyer advises that, in a pinch, moong dal (skinned split mung beans) will also work.

Since I wanted this to be a one-pot dinner, I added a bit of spinach to my dal, just to give us something green on the plate and round things out a bit. I think it worked quite well, but the spinach is, of course, both optional and not part of the original recipe.

Photo goes here.

Lasoon Urad chi Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/urad dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste)
• 3-4 fresh green serrano or finger chilies, cut into 5mm slices
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• ~1 c. chopped frozen spinach (optional)
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the lentils thoroughly.
2. Place in a pot with the water and bring to a boil.
3. Skim off any foam that forms and stir in the turmeric.
4. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
6. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 5-10 seconds.
7. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium and cook for ~5 minutes.
8. Add the garlic and chilies and cook for another minute or two. Set aside.
9. Once lentils are just tender, scrape the onion mixture into the pot and stir to combine. Swish out the pan with a little water¹ and stir that into the pot as well.
10. Stir in the salt and spinach (if using) and simmer, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes.
11. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
12. Serve over rice. Preferably with a side of papads/papadums.

---

¹ The original recipe called for using a full cup of additional water to rinse out the pan, but I wanted my dal to be fairly thick, so I just used a small amount of water for the pan since I felt like the cooked lentils were already at a good consistency. ^Back

Reiver found a soup recipe online the other day and we decided to give it a go. It's very simple, but did make a tasty soup. Although I'd be tempted to swap out the turmeric for ras el hanout next time.

While I tried to stick pretty close to the recipe for my first time making it, I did end up making a few small changes. I used whole (skin-on, bone-in) chicken thighs rather than skinless, boneless simply because that's what I had on hand. I used a much smaller quantity of dried herbs instead of the large quantity of fresh because, again, I was working with what was on hand. And I dumped in a bunch of frozen spinach toward the end of cooking, just to give it a vegetable and make it a little more nutritionally complete. I also left out most of the olive oil since I felt that there was sufficient fat from the chicken skin.

Red Lentil Soup with Chicken

Ingredients

• 600g chicken thighs
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced (or 2 Tbsp. garlic paste)
• 2L water
• 1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
• 1 1/2 c. skinned split brown lentils (red lentils/Egyptian lentils/masoor dal)
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric (and/or ral el hanout for a more complex flavour)
• 1 c. fresh mixed herbs (parsley, dill, mint, etc.)
• 1 c. chopped frozen spinach (optional)
• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Pat the chicken dry and season to taste with salt and pepper to taste. (I recommend ~1/2 tsp. of each.)
2. Heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat.
3. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and sear until skin is crisp.
4. Flip the thighs over and sear briefly on the other side.
5. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
6. Add the onions, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until soft and caramelized (~30 minutes).
7. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.
8. Return the chicken to the pot and add the water and bouillon cube (if using).
9. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
10. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through (~15 minutes).
11. Shred the chicken and return it to the pot, discarding the skin and bones.
12. Rinse the lentils and add them to the pot along with the turmeric (and/or ras el hanout, if using).
13. Simmer until the lentils are just tender (~10 minutes).
14. Stir in the herbs and spinach (if using), adjust seasoning to taste, simmer for a minute or two, then remove from heat.
15. Stir the lemon juice into the yogurt and set aside.
16. Serve the soup topped with the lemony yogurt.

Rajmah Mutter (Kidney Bean and Green Pea Curry)

Here's another curry that I made while in NZ. I have to admit, it's been long enough that I don't really remember how it came out. But I assume it was good. (Since Iyer's recipes usually are.) But not remarkable. (Since I don't remember it.)

Rajmah Mutter

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 25 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 c. cooked kidney beans
• 2 c. frozen green peas
• 1 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• 2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 2 Tbsp. cold water

Directions

1. Combine the coriander, cumin, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, ginger paste, and chilies and grind to a paste with a mortar and pestle.
2. Melt ghee over medium heat.
3. Add the paste and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
4. Stir in the kidney beans followed by the green peas.
5. Add the water and the salt.
6. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
7. Combine the yogurt and half-and-half and add to the pan.
8. Continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes.
9. Mix the cornstarch into the cold water.
10. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the curry, cook until thickened, and serve.

Kaddu Dhansaak (Pumpkin Dhansaak)

Dhansaaks are often made with meat, but this one uses pumpkin (and a variety of root vegetables) for a satisfying legume-and-vegetable stew.

Red pumpkin is the recommended squash for this. But Iyer suggests that other pumpkins -- or even sweet potatoes -- can be used as well. I initially considered using the pie pumpkin I'd picked up here. But then I remembered that we had some sweet potatoes that had been languishing on the counter for weeks. And this seemed like as good a use of them as any. I also decided to toss in a parsnip, just for fun.

I can't say that this was my favourite curry. But it was pretty good. And I definitely liked it better than the chicken dhansaak that I tried a few years ago!

Kaddu Dhansaak

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1/4 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 1/4 c. skinned split mung beans (yellow lentils/moong dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies (or 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne + 3/4 tsp. sweet paprika)
• 2 onions, one coarsely chopped, one halved and sliced
• 2 c. cubed pumpkin or sweet potato (2cm dice)
• 1 large potato, cut into 1cm dice
• 1-2 carrots, cut into 1cm thick coins
• 1 parsnip, cut into 1cm pieces (optional)
• 1/4 c. ghee, divided
• 4-6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Madras curry powder
• 1 tsp. sambhar masala
• 1 tsp. Maharashtrian garam masala
• 200g spinach or kale, chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine the pigeon peas, split peas, and mung beans and rinse and drain thoroughly.
2. In a pressure cooker, add the water, turmeric, ground chilies, chopped onion, pumpkin/sweet potato, potato, carrots, and parsnip (if using).
3. Pressure cook on "high" for 15 minutes with a 15-minute natural release.
4. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. of the ghee over medium heat.
5. Add the sliced onion and garlic and cook until browned (10-15 minutes).
6. Add the tomatoes, salt, curry powder, sambhar masala, and garam masala and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
7. Once the legumes and vegetables are done, release the remaining pressure and add the tomato mixture to the pot. Stir to combine.
8. Stir in the spinach.
9. Cook until the spinach wilts and flavours meld (10-15 minutes).
10. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. of ghee.
11. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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.

---

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

I ended up having to modify this one a bit. It was meant to be made with escarole. But I couldn't find any when I went to the grocery store. So I ended up just getting a bunch of green kale instead and used that as the vegetable component of this recipe. I think it would've been a lot better (and more interesting) with escarole, but I didn't have time to run all over town looking for it, so I just went with what I had.

Halibut with Braised Escarole & White Beans

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 6 halibut fillets (~1kg total)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 450g escarole, cored and cut into 4cm pieces
• 1 can (~400g) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c. (or more) water
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Season the halibut with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pan with a lid, heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
3. Add halibut fillets and sear on one side until golden-brown (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of oil to the pan and heat over medium heat.
5. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and fry for about a minute.
6. Add as much escarole as will fit in the pan. Continue to add more as the greens in the pan wilt. If the pan seems dry, add a splash of water.
7. Cook until the escarole is slightly wilted.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Add the beans and 1/2 c. of water.
10. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until escarole is very tender (~8 minutes).
11. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
12. Nestle the halibut fillets into the escarole, browned-side-up, cover, and cook until fish is done (~4 more minutes).
13. Serve with lemon wedges.

Masaledar Masoor Dal (Spiced Red Lentil Dal)

I forgot to add the onion to my dal! I mean, it was still delicious! But I'm so mad at myself for forgetting the onion. It was even all sliced and ready to go. I just forgot to sprinkle it on when serving. Oh well... hopefully we can have it with the leftovers.

This is another legume curry that I liked surprisingly much. It contains a lot of cilantro and mint. I was worried that the mint would be overpowering. But it was actually delicious! (And used up some of our huge oversupply of mint. So... bonus!)

I normally wouldn't count herbs as a vegetable. They're seasonings. They're delicious. But you're generally not eating enough of them to be nutritionally significant. But when you're adding 1 1/2 c. of herbs to 1 c. of lentils... at that point, I think it actually does count as a vegetable! And a tasty one at that!

Masaledar Masoor Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split brown lentils (masoor dal/red lentils/Egyptian lentils)
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. fresh mint
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 2-4 fresh green serrano, Thai, or finger chilies
• 2 Tbsp. ghee (or canola oil for a vegan option)
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 1 onion, halved and sliced

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse and drain the lentils.
2. Add to a pot with the water and bring to a boil.
3. Skim off any foam that forms.
4. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender (10-15 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, add the cilantro, mint, garlic, and chilies to a food processor¹ and pulse until finely chopped.
6. Heat the ghee over medium heat.
7. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
8. Add the minced herb blend and cook until garlic beings to brown (~5 minutes; longer if you added water to it when chopping).
9. Once the lentils are cooked, add the herb blend to the pot.
10. Stir in the salt and garam masala and simmer until flavours are absorbed (~5 minutes).
11. Serve topped with raw onion slices.

---

¹ I don't have a food processor, so I chopped my herbs in the blender with the "food chop" setting. This, unfortunately, doesn't work as well as a food processor, so I had to add a little bit of liquid to get everything to chop. I just drained off some of the lentil cooking water for this. This worked, but did make the herb blend much wetter than it would have otherwise been, which then necessitated cooking it much longer once it was added to the pan. Alternatively, you could also just chop everything by hand. This will take a little more active effort on your part, but will obviate the need to extend the cooking time in the pan. Or, you know, just get a food processor and use that! ^Back

Dhingri Lobhia (Mushroom and Black-Eyed Pea Curry)

I didn't have overly high expectations for this curry. I figured it would be... fine, but mostly just an extra dish to round out the meal. (And a way to use up some of my surplus mushrooms!) But it actually came out much better than I was expecting! I mean, I'm not going to claim it as a new favourite or anything. It wasn't mind-blowing. But it was surprisingly good considering its simplicity. I would definitely make this one again. It's cheap, easy, and tasty. Great combo!

Dhingri Lobhia

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried black-eyed peas
• 3 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 250g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies (or 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne + 3/4 tsp. sweet paprika)
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse and drain the beans.
2. Place the beans and the water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook on "high" for 20 minutes. Allow for a 15-minute natural release.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until they begin to brown (5-10 minutes).
5. Add the salt, ginger, chilies, and cilantro and cook until fragrant (~1 minute).
6. Combine the mushrooms with the beans (either by adding the mushrooms to the pressure cooker or adding the beans to the pan. If you add the mushrooms to the pressure cooker, use some of the bean water to swish out the pan and add it as well.
7. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until flavours are absorbed and sauce thickens (~15 minutes).
8. Serve with rice and your favourite flatbreads and vegetable curries.

This is a simple pigeon pea curry is apparently fairly ubiquitous in Maharashtrian households. I'd never heard of it before. But, then again, I am not Indian.
I appreciate how easy it is to put together. It's not overly complex, but still has enough spices to be interesting. It works very well served over rice. Especially if you have a good vegetable curry to go with it. (Personally, I would recommend something with lots of greens.) You could add a meat or paneer curry as well for extra protein. But the legumes, rice, and veggies are sufficient on their own. Especially when served with a nice chutney and or some hot pickles.

Photo goes here.

Varan

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toor dal/toovar dal)
• 3 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped jaggery
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Rinse the peas several times, then drain.
2. Place in a pot with the water and bring to a boil, uncovered.
3. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
4. Stir in the jaggery, chilies, turmeric, and asafetida.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until peas are tender (20-25 minutes).
6. Purée until smooth. (Either by putting it through a blender jar in batches or using an immersion blender directly in the pot.)
7. Stir in the ghee and salt and serve.

This was supposed to be a chickpea and turkey meatball soup. But I got mixed up about what was in the freezer and discovered that while we still had ground beef left, there was no turkey or chicken. So I ended up making it with beef instead. And it was delicious! (Possibly not quite as lean and healthy as it would've been with turkey, but very tasty nonetheless.)

Chickpea and Meatball Soup

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 450g ground turkey or extra lean beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Soup

• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1L chicken stock
• 1 bunch kale or mustard greens, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
2. Combine the mince, garlic, panko, Parmesan, egg, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix well.
3. Using very small amounts of the meat mixture, form tiny meatballs (~1.5cm across).
4. Place the meatballs in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and beginning to brown (5-10 minutes).
7. Add the tomato paste and chickpeas and cook for a minute or two.
8. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the chicken stock.
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Purée half the soup and return it to the pot (or use an immersion blender).
11. Add the meatballs and greens and stir to combine.
12. Cook until greens are wilted and everything is heated through (~5 minutes longer).

Aloo Pudhina Rajmah (Potato-Mint Kidney Beans)

This is yet another curry that I made while still trying to get back into the swing of things after my return from New Zealand. Not a favourite, I don't think. But it got the job done.

Photo goes here.

Aloo Pudhina Rajmah

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. firmly packed fresh mint leaves
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3-5 fresh green Thai, serano, or finger chilies
• 1 (7cm/3") cinnamon stick, broken
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 russet or Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 3 c. cooked red kidney beans (rajmah)
• 1 c. water
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. choppsed fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Add the tomato, onion, mint, ginger, peppercorns, turmeric, chilies, and cinnamon to a blender and purée.
2. Heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
3. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 5-10 seconds.
4. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated (~15 minutes).
6. Add the potatoes, kidney beans, and water and bring to a boil.
7. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (~20 minutes).
8. Meanwhile, whisk the cream into the yogurt.
9. Once the potatoes are cooked through, stir in the yogurt mixture, masala, salt, and cilantro.
10. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through (3-5 minutes).

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.

Amchur Chana (Chickpeas with Unripe Mango Powder)

This was another great curry that I made way back in the earlier part of the year when I was still in New Zealand. It's pleasingly straightforward to make with just a handful of pantry items and spices and can make for a nice, vegetarian main.

Amchur Chana

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, 1 whole, 1 ground
• 2 cardamom pods (black or green)
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 c. crushed tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. mango powder
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, grounds
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c. chopped red onion

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the whole cumin seeds, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks and sizzle for 15-20 seconds.
3. Add the tomatoes, mango powder, coriander, ground cumin, salt, cayenne, and turmeric.
4. Reduce heat to medium and cook, partially covered, until oil begins to separate (~10 minutes).
5. Add the chickpeas, water, and 2 Tbsp. of the cilantro.
6. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavours meld and sauce thickens (20-30 minutes).
7. Sprinkle with onion and remaining cilantro and serve.

I don't normally cook with a lot of chard because neither TF nor I are big fans of it. I don't hate it, but I like kale and spinach better. And TF is strongly averse to it, so I usually just swap in kale anywhere that chard is called for.

I'm not cooking for TF right now though. I'm cooking for Reiver. And he has a whole garden full of chard (silverbeet), so I've been taking advantage of the fresh garden vegetables.

He also had some duck breast confit in convenient, ready-to-eat packages. So I figured they would work just as well as legs for this soup and make good use of ingredients on hand.

Lentil & Chard Soup

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 123)

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and minced
• 2 cups Puy (French) lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 8-10 c. water
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt (or vegetable stock powder/concentrate), divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 6 large chard leaves, chopped, including ribs
• 2 duck legs confit
• 8 baguette slices¹, cut on the diagonal

Directions

1. Warm 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent (~2 minutes).
3. Add the garlic and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir in the lentils and water² and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
5. Add the bay leaf, thyme, 1 tsp. salt (or stock powder), and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add the chard and duck legs and cook until the lentils are almost tender (20–25 minutes).
7. Transfer the duck legs to a cutting board and, when they are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin.
8. Cut off the meat, discarding the bones. Coarsely chop the meat and stir all but about 1⁄4 cup into the soup.
9. Cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy (~10 minutes longer).
10. Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and stir in 1⁄2 tsp. salt.
11. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, warm the 2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat.
12. Add half of the baguette slices and fry until golden (~3 minutes). Turn and fry until golden on the other side (~2 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
13. Repeat with the remaining baguette slices.
14. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish each with a fried crouton topped with a bit of the reserved duck meat.

---

¹ I just made a bunch of smaller croutons out of some sale bread we had on hand: Cut into cubes, toss with a bit of oil, roast in oven until nicely crispy. ^Back
2 Add more or less water depending on how thick you like your soup. I like mine quite thick and stew-like, so I just used 8 c. of water. Use up to 10 c. for a soupier soup. ^Back

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).

---

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

I was originally planning on doing a turkey sausage and barley stew for dinner the other night, but then I found a whole chicken on sale. I had intended to cut it up and freeze it for later use. But I kind of ran out of time. And decided that rather than thawing out the sausages, making dinner with them, and then breaking down and freezing the chicken, may be it just made more sense to eat the chicken right away and save the sausages for another time. So, I ended up going with this chicken stew, which not only used up the chicken, but also the bell peppers that we had in the fridge going begging.

Spanish Chicken Stew

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 (1.5-2kg) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. butter, olive oil, or schmaltz
• 2-3 red or yellow bell peppers, finely chopped
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small (~400mL) tin diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. hot paprika
• ~2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 3/4 c. pitted green olives¹
• 3/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted and divided

Directions

1. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
2. Heat the fat over medium-high heat.
3. Place the chicken pieces, skin-side-down, in the pot and sear until crispy. Flip and sear briefly on the other side. Transfer to a plate.
4. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of fat from the pot.
5. Return to medium heat and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until softened.
6. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
7. Add the tomato and both kinds of paprika and stir to combine.
8. Nestle the chicken pieces into the sauce, skin-side-up.
9. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through (30-40 minutes).
10. Uncover and add chickpeas, olives, and 1/2 c. of the toasted almonds. Simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Sprinkle with remaining almonds and serve.

---

¹ I didn't have enough green olives on hand for this, so I ended up using a mix of green and kalamata. I do think the green olives went with the dish slightly better, but they were both good. ^Back

This was okay, but not amazing. It made a decent side dish to go with our braised chicken. But I did feel like it wasn't as flavourful as I would have liked for a dish full of umami-rich fungus.

I was disappointed to find that the only mushrooms it contained were in the stock. You make a stock with a mix of fresh and dried mushrooms, then strain it and throw away the solids and use only the broth in the rice. I wanted there to be actual mushroom in my mushroom pilaf, so I used some ready-made mushroom stock and then thickly sliced the fresh mushrooms called for in the stock and put them into the pot with the rice instead. Possibly I should have added the dried shiitakes as well!

As far as other changes go... I doubled the broccoli. Both because that's how much broccoli I had and because I wanted it to be more vegetable-y.
I also omitted the chickpeas. Not because I had intended to. But because I misremembered whether or not I had canned chickpeas in the pantry. And, by the time I realized that I was all out, it was too late to cook any from dried. So, I just skipped the legumes for this rendition. If I end up making this again at some point though, I will try to make sure I add them though. I think it would be a nice way to make it a bit more substantial.

And one change that I didn't make, but wish I had: reducing the liquid called for. The recipe calls for 2 1/2 c. of stock, so that's exactly what I used. But I found that my rice came out much too wet. I ended up having to give it an extra 10 minutes in the oven with the lid off just to try to dry it out a bit (and finish cooking the broccoli). Next time I'd try making it with just 2 c. of stock (and reducing the cooking time slightly).

Mushroom and Broccoli Brown Rice Pilaf

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Stock

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 225g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 7g dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 4 c. water

Pilaf

• 2 c. mushroom stock (from above)
• 2 Tbsp. dry sherry or white wine
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 225g cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1 c. brown basmati rice
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1-2 heads broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 c. cashews, toasted
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions

Stock

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until browned (10-15 minutes).
3. Add the fresh and dried mushrooms, celery, peppercorns, and water and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for ~40 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool for ~1 hour.
6. Strain. Discard solids.
7. Set aside 2 c. of stock for the pilaf. Reserve the rest for another use.

Pilaf

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Stir the sherry/wine into the stock and gently warm the mixture over low heat.
3. Melt the butter over medium heat.
4. Add the onion and cook until softened (4-5 minutes).
5. Add the mushrooms and rice and stir to coat.
6. Add the thyme, salt, pepper, and warm stock and bring to a boil.
7. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes.
8. Add broccoli and cashews, cover, and bake until broccoli is tender (10-15 minutes).
9. If your cashews are untoasted, you may spread them out on a small baking sheet and place in the oven for the last 10 minute of baking.
10. Stir in the cashews and pepper flakes and serve.