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.

Bhaja Moong Palak (Toasted Mung Beans with Spinach)

I've been making a lot of curries recently, but they were all a bit short on vegetables. This one doesn't have that much in the way of vegetables either¹, but it at least has a bit of spinach. I figured it looked easy to make and would at least give us something. And, as much as mung beans are more of a protein than a vegetable, they at least feel like a somewhat healthful protein option.

Iyer notes that toasting the beans before cooking prevents them from breaking down. Normally skinned split mung beans will cook and break down relatively quickly. These ones will hold their shape, even through much longer cooking.

Bhaja Moong Palak

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split mung beans ("green lentils"/moong dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 250g spinach
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
• 1-4 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ghee

Directions

1. Heat pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add lentils and cook, stirring constantly, until they are nicely browned but not burnt (5-8 minutes).
3. Add the water and stir to break up any lumps that form.
4. Add the turmeric and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~20 minutes.
6. Add the spinach, cover, and cook until wilted (~5 minutes).
7. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
8. Add the fennel, cloves, and chilies and sizzle for 10-20 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
9. Once the spinach is wilted, add the spices and oil to the pan.
10. Stir in the salt and sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.
11. Stir in the ghee just before servind.

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¹ I don't count legumes. Dried beans and lentils and the like are more in the protein and starch category as far as I'm concerned. ^Back

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

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.

Ven Pongal (Rice-Lentil Porridge)

There are loads of different pongal recipes out there. Pongal can be sweet or savoury and include any number of different flavours and ingredients. Sometimes it might be fairly plain, other times if may include all sorts of vegetables, nuts, or even fruit! Ven pongal is one of the savoury versions, but even within that, there can be a huge amount of variation. Ginger, curry leaves, and whole (or coarsely crushed) black peppercorns seem to be common to most (possibly all) ven pongal recipes, but everything else is open to adjustment and interpretation: proportion of rice to lentils, amount of water, other seasonings, amount of ghee, inclusion of cashews or other nuts... There are a lot of options!

I found Iyer's version okay. But I thik I'd like to try one of the cashew-full recipes next time. I was also slightly disappointed by the consistency of this pongal, but that's not really Iyer's fault. I adjusted the quantity of water called for down because I was doing it in the pressure cooker rather than on the stovetop. Apparently I adjusted it down too much. Now that I've looked at some other recipes (ones that were written for pressure cookers) I'm thinking I probably should've just used the full amount of water called for in the original recipe. (If I were making it on the stove, I might even end up using more water than called for.

My too-dry pongal still came out tasting nice. It's just a bit dense and heavy. I would've preferred something with more of a porridge-y, risotto-y consistency. Hopefully the extra water will help me out there the next time I try to make this.

Ven Pongal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. skinned split green lentils/mung beans (moong/mung dal)
• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 3 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2-4 Tbsp. ghee, divided
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 3 (40mm x 20mm x 3mm) slices of ginger, julienned
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 15 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves

Directions

1. Rinse the lentils and rice.
2. Add rinsed rice and lentils to pressure cooker/InstantPot along with water, salt, and turmeric.
3. Pressure cook (on high pressure for InstantPot) for 18 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
4. Meanwhile, heat 1-2 Tbsp. of ghee over medium-high heat.
5. Add cumin seeds and pepper corns and cook for 30-60 seconds.
6. Transfer spices and ghee to a mortar and lightly crush with a pestle.
7. Heat the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of ghee over medium-high heat.
8. Add the ginger and cook until aromatic (15-30 seconds).
9. Toss in the cilantro and curry leaves (carefully) and then remove from heat and set it aside.
10. Once the porridge is ready, stir in both ghee mixtures.
11. Serve with yogurt, pickles, and/or additional ghee.

Mung aur Chana Dal ke Pakoday (Legume Fritters in a Tomato-Nigella Sauce)

This one is backlogged from quite some time ago, so I'm afraid I don't remember many of the details of making it.

Mung aur Chana Dal ke Pakoday
Slightly adapted from 660 Curries
For the Fritters:
3/4 c. skinned split mung beans
1/3 c. yellow split peas
6 fresh Thai (bird's eye) chiles
4 large cloves garlic
2 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2.5" x 1" x 1/4")
1/2 c. chopped red onion
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 tsp. bishop's weed (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme + 1/4 tsp. black pepper
canola oil (for deep frying)

For the Sauce:
1 Tbsp. mustard oil (or canola oil)
1 tsp. nigella seeds
2 dried Thai or cayenne chiles (stemmed and gently pounded)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped jaggery (or firmly packed brown sugar)
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

To Make the Fritters:
1. Rinse the beans and peas several times. Drain. Then cover with fresh water and allow to soak, covered, at room temperature, for 1-4 hours.
2. Drain the legumes.
3. Combine drained legumes in a blender with chiles, garlic, ginger, and 1/2 c. water. Puree.
4. Transfer the legume paste to a bowl and fold in the onion, cilantro, and bishop's weed.
5. Pour oil to a depth of 2-3" and heat over medium heat to 350F.
6. Line a plate or cookie sheet with several layers of paper towels.
7. Once the oil is hot, gently add teaspoonfuls of the batter to it and fry 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally.
8. Remove fritters with a slotted spoon and repeat the cooking process with the remaining batter.

To Make the Sauce:
1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Sprinkle in the nigella seeds and chiles and let them sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
3. Add the tomato, jaggery, and salt.
4. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato softens (5-7 minutes).

To Serve:
1. Place 3 fritters on a plate.
2. Spoon ~1/2 tsp. of sauce over each one.