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.

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

Kashmiri Shaami Kebab (Raisin-Stuffed Lamb Patties)

I picked up a pound of ground lamb on sale a few weeks back and it's been sitting in the freezer waiting for me to come up with something to do with it. This saucy stuffed lamb patty curry sounded delicious and was actually much easier to put together than I'd feared. A few of the patties came open during cooking, but most of them held their shape well and kept the filling neatly encased.

Kashmiri Shaami Kebab

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Patties

• 1/2 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 c. golden raisins
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-3 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies
• 450g ground lamb
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Kashmiri garam masala
• 1 Tbsp. oil

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 c. golden raisins
• 400mL diced tomatoes¹
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

Patties

1. Rinse the peas very well, then add the water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat.
2. Skim off and discard any foam, then stir in the turmeric and reduce the heat to medium-low.
3. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender (~30 minutes).
4. Reserve 1 c. of cooking water from the peas.
5. Drain the peas and transfer them to a food processor² and pulse to mince.
6. Transfer the peas to a bowl and add the raisins, cilantro, and chilies to the food processor (or blender) and pulse to mince.³
7. Transfer the raisin mixture to a separate bowl.
8. Add the ground lamb to the bowl with the peas and mix in the salt and garam masala.
9. Take ~2 Tbsp. of the meat mixture and shape it into a flat disc. Place ~1 tsp. of the raisin mixture in the centre of the disc and fold it up over the filling to completely encase it. Shape into a ball and then flatten slightly into a small patty.
10. Repeat the above process with the remaining meat and filling.
11. heat the oil over medium heat.
12. Add a few of the patties and cook for ~5 minutes, flip, and cook for 5 minutes on the other side.
13. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining patties.

Sauce

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and raisins and stir-fry until the garlic browns a little and the raisins swell (2-4 minutes).
3. Add the tomato, fennel, ginger, chilies, and salt and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for ~5 minutes.
4. Pour in the reserved cooking water from the split peas and bring to a boil.
5. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens (~5 minutes).
6. Transfer to a blender and purée.
7. Serve the lamb topped with sauce over a substrate of your choice.

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¹ The original recipe called for 1 large tomato. Even a very large tomato is probably going to produce significantly less than 400mL once it's cored and chopped, but I liked the idea of going a bit heavy on the tomatoes and having some extra sauce so I just used the whole tin. ^Back
2 I don't have a food processor, so I just used the "food chop" setting on my blender. The peas were soft enought that they ended up more puréed than minced, but it still seemed to work out fine. ^Back
3 I saved a bit of extra cooking water from the peas and added this as well since the blender was struggling to chop the ingredients without it. ^Back

Maa di Dal (Mother's Dal)

Iyer notes that there are as many variants of this dal "as there are cooks in northwestern India", so this version is by no means definitive. He opts for a variety of whole spices, cream, and ghee in his version and combines the black lentils (mapte beans) with a few kidney beans near the end of cooking.

Maa di Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2-4 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, stems removed
• 1 c. whole black lentils (mapte beans/sabud urad)
• 1/2 c. yellow split peas
• 6 c. water
• 4 cardamom pods (any colour)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 (7cm long) cinnamon sticks
• 2-4 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 c. tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes)
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 c. cooked kidney beans
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream or half-and-half (10%)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Mash the garlic, ginger, and chilies in a molcajete (or mince in a food processor) and set aside.
2. Thoroughly rinse the black lentils and split peas.
3. Add the rinsed legumes to a pot with the water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat.
4. Skim and discard any foam from the surface of the water.
5. Add the garlic mixture along with the cardamom pods, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks and reduce heat to medium.
6. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the split peas are fall-apart tender (~1 hour).
7. Meanwhile, heat 1-2 Tbsp. of the ghee over medium-high heat.
8. Sprinkle the cumin seeds into the ghee and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
9. Add the onion and stir-fry until light brown on the edges (3-5 minutes).
10. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes, salt, and cayenne.
11. Simmer the sauce, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
12. Once the legumes are tender, stir in the sauce, kidney beans, and cream.
13. Adjust consistency with a bit more water if desired (use it to swish out the sauce pan).
14. Cover the pot of curry and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.
15. Stir in another 1-2 Tbsp. of ghee and the cilantro and serve.

Subzi Dalcha (Split Pea and Vegetable Stew)

I made some last-minute changes to my meal plan this week, which meant that I was flailing around while in the midst of preparing dinner looking for a vegetable side that I could add to the meal.

Mr. Iyer came to my rescue yet again with the perfect curry for the occasion. I've been looking for ways to use up both potatoes and cabbage and this curry uses both. Plus it adds in some carrot and green beans for good measure. All of which I actually had on hand yesterday. And it's a recipe that I haven't had a chance to try before. It doesn't get much more prefect than that!

Photo goes here.

Subzi Dalcha

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 4 c. water
• ~225g potatoes, diced
• 2 c. shredded cabbage
• 1 c. fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 2-3cm pieces
• 1-2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm thick rounds
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. ground asafetida
• 6-8 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. toasted chickpea flour¹
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 slices fresh ginger² (each ~6x2.5cm and 3mm thick), julienned

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse the split peas.
2. Place the peas in a pot with the water and bring to a boil.
3. Skim off any foam that forms and then add the potatoes, cabbage, beans, and carrots and cook for ~5 minutes.
4. Stir in the salt and turmeric, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are fork-tender (~15 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
6. Add the cumin and sizzle for 20-30 seconds.
7. Add the asafetida, chilies, and garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Set aside until vegetables are done.
8. Once the vegetables are tender, add the chili-garlic mixture to the pot.
9. Add the chickpea flour, cilantro, and ginger.
10. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (~5 minutes).

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¹ I couldn't find my toasted chickpea flour and I didn't have time to toast more in the middle of dinner prep, so I just used untoasted chickpea flour. This seems to have worked out fine. Iyer also notes that a slurry made of 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp. of cold water will also work if you don't have any chickpea flour on hand. ^Back
2 I was all out of fresh ginger so I just tossed in 1 Tbsp. of ginger paste. It probably could've done with a little more, but that's all I had left in the jar. ^Back

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!

Elambuchambu Shaadum (Lime-Flavoured Rice with Yellow Split Peas)

Apparently this is a traditional Indian wedding dish. I made it because it was suggested as a particularly good accompaniment to gosht poshto. I think next time I'd make something without the legume component. It was alright, but I found it a little heavy. I think I would've preferred a lighter, fluffier rice dish to go with the lamb. I'd be inclined to make something like palak pulao next time. I think it would go beautifully with the lamb and poppy seeds. And the spinach would give it a bit of a veggie boost as well.

Elambuchambu Shaadum

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. yellow split peas
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1-2 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1-1 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 12 fresh curry leaves
• 1-2 fresh green Thai chilies, cut crosswise into 1cm pieces

Directions

1. Soak peas in hot water for 15 minutes, drain, and pat dry.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat or sauté "medium" if using InstantPot.
3. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
4. Add the split peas and dried chilies and cook until chilies have blackened (2-4 minutes).
5. Add the rice and toss with pea-spice mixture to coat.
6. If using InstantPot, add 1 c. water. Add 1 1/2 c. water for stovetop preparation.
7. Add the salt and stir to mix.
8. If using InstantPot, seal and set to pressure cook on "high" for 20 minutes. Once cooking time has elapsed, allow for a 10-minute natural release. If using stove-top, bring to a boil (still over medium-high heat) and cook, without stirring, until surface looks dry and craters begin to form. Stir once, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for another 8-10 minutes. Turn off heat and let pot stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, combine lime juice, turmeric, curry leaves, and fresh chilies in a bowl.
10. Remove lid and fluff rice (for both InstantPot and stovetop).
11. Pour lime juice mixture into rice and mix well.
12. Serve on its own or as a substrate for your favourite curries.

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.

Shundal (Chickpeas with Coconut Sauce)

Another recipe that I thought I'd written up ages ago. This one is nice, but I have to admit, there are other chickpea curries I like better. Still, it's nice to mix things up every once in a while.

Shundal

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. sesame or canola oil
• 2 Tbsp. yellow split peas
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 4 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies, stems removed
• 2 c. water
• 1 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 3 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt¹
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. ground asafetida
• 12 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1 c. shredded fresh coconut or 1/2 c. unsweetened dried shredded coconut, reconstituted²
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add split peas, coriander seeds, and chilies and roast, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and skim spices from the oil. Set the spices aside to cool for 5 minutes.
4. Once the spices are cool, grind.
5. Whisk tamarind concentrate into the water.
6. Reheat the oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil, cover, and cook for 30-60 seconds. (They will pop like popcorn.)
8. Add chickpeas, salt, turmeric, asafetida, and curry leaves and stir to coat.
9. Pour in the tamarind mixture and bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
11. Stir in the ground spice mixture, (reconstituted) coconut, and cilantro and serve.

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¹ Tinned legumes generally contain salt. If using home-cooked chickpeas without salt, add up to 1/2 tsp. additional salt. ^Back
2 To reconstitute coconut pour 1/2 c. boiling water over it and set aside for ~15 minutes, then drain. ^Back

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.

Our traditional New Year's Eve dinner is generally a ham (or in the case of this year: pork roast). And once the meat is all gone the bone gets tossed in the soup pot with a ham hock and some split peas to make soup. The recipe is pretty simple and incredibly tasty. TF isn't generally much of a soup person and even he loves this soup.

Unfortunately I didn't write down my recipe the first year and I've forgotten exactly what I did. A bit of Googling turned up a similar-looking recipe, so I'm just using that as my base recipe this year. I have made a few adjustments though.

Since I usually cook up a bunch of bacon for the New Year's Eve stuffing, I decided to use some of the excess bacon grease to cook the veggies in instead of butter. I also reduced the liquid a bunch since cooking in the InstantPot means it's not losing anything to evaporation. If you're making this on the stove top you might find you need to add slightly more liquid to keep it a good consistency.

The last change I made was to add an extra 3/4 or so of split peas. I had initially gone with the recommended 1 3/4 c. but, even after reducing the broth and water by a cup each, the soup was still very thin. If it had been only slightly on the thin side, I would've just puréed a bit and stirred it back in to give it a little more body. But that wasn't going to be enough in this case. I tossed in all the peas I had left and put it back on to boil and then simmer. Hopefully that should be enough to thicken it up nicely. It smells absolutely delicious! It just wasn't nearly thick enough when I looked. If you like your pea soup flavourful but relatively thin, then feel free to go with the original 1 3/4 c. For stand-a-spoon-in-it thick soup, use at least 2 1/2 c. of split peas. (And maybe purée a bit once it's cooked as well.)

Update: So, I had previously recommended adding more split peas than the recipe called for because the soup was way too thin otherwise. But this year I had the opposite problem and found it was too thick. And that was even with the full 6 c. of liquid! So, I've walked that instruction back. If you're making this soup on the stovetop, I would recommend following the original instructions: 6 c. of liquid and 1 3/4 c. of split peas. If you're using an Instant pot, you may want to decrease the liquid, increase the split peas, or both.

Split Pea Soup

Slightly adapted from Seasons & Suppers

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. bacon grease (or butter)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried savoury
• pepper, to taste
• ham bone(s)
• 1 smoked ham hock
• 1 3/4-2 c. yellow split peas
• 3 c. chicken broth
• 2-3 c. water

Directions

1. Heat bacon grease (or butter) over medium heat.
2. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until vegetables are softened.
3. Add bay leaf, savoury, thyme, and pepper and cook for another minute or so.
4. Cut the skin from the ham hock and add it along with the peas and any ham bones.
5. Stir in the chicken broth and water and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours checking periodically to see if it needs more water.
7. Remove the ham hock and bones.
8. Pick any meat from the bones/hock and return it to the pot. (Discard the bones.)
9. Season to taste and adjust consistency as desired. If you like a thicker soup, purée a cup or so and add it back to the pot. If you like thinner soup, add a bit more broth or water.
10. Serve with crusty bread.

InstantPot Diretions

1. Set InstantPot to medium-temperature Sauté and add bacon grease (or butter), onion, carrots, and celery and cook until vegetables are softened.
2. Add bay leaf, savoury, thyme, and pepper and cook for another minute or so.
3. Cut the skin from the ham hock and add it along with the peas and ham bone(s).
4. Stir in the broth and water and allow to boil.
5. Cancel Sauté, cover, and set to high-temperature Slow Cook for 2 hours.
6. Remove the ham hock and bones.
7. Pick any meat from the bones/hock and return it to the pot. (Discard the bones.)
8. Season to taste and purée some of the soup if desired.
9. Serve with crusty bread.

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.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Ended up deciding to make this soup after contemplating potential applications of celery. The celery certainly doesn't take centre stage here, but it uses a few ribs and makes a really tasty, hearty soup, so I'm pretty happy with that.

I based the soup off of a recipe I found here, but I ended up improvising a bit on some of the ingredients. In theory it was supposed to have carrots, celery, onion, green and yellow split peas, green lentils, butternut squash, celery root, potato, olive oil, and kale. In practice... I didn't have any green split peas, so I just used all yellow split peas. I had green lentils, but I've really been enjoying my French lentils lately, so I swapped some of them in. I thought I had some cubed butternut squash in the fridge, but I guess I'd had it in the fridge for a little longer than I'd realized because it had gone kind of sad and mushy. But I ended up uncovering some forgotten sweet potato fries in the freezer, so I ended up chopping them into little cubes and tossing those in in place of the missing squash. And I knew I didn't have any celery root or potato but, rather than trying to run out and grab some at the last minute, I decided to just toss in a bit of brown rice, some extra celery, and a bit of celery seed to make up for the missing components. Seeing as the sweet potato fries had a bit of oil added to them, I ended up deciding to skip on the extra olive oil added at the end. And, since we'd already used up all our kale in the kale extravaganza, I tossed a bunch of frozen spinach into the pot instead. And then, because we still had a serving or so of the lovely spicy kale and beans, I figured I might as well throw those in too. So... yeah, definitely not "recipe as written", but it's still following the same general idea. And it was really flavourful and tasty!

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Life Made Simple

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 ribs celery, diced

1 large carrot, grated

~1/3 c. garlic paste (I didn't really measure it)

10 c. chicken (or vegetable) stock

herbs de provence¹

40 grinds black pepper

1/4 tsp. hot paprika (might up this to 1/2 tsp. next time)

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 tsp. celery seed

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1 c. yellow split peas

1 c. French lentils

2 c. diced sweet potato fries (or squash or just regular sweet potatoes)

1 c. long-grain brown rice (although I think I'd reduce this to 1/2 c. next time)

8 frozen spinach discs² (~2 Tbsp. each)
leftover kale and beans (optional)

1/4 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 grated Parmesan

1. Heat oil over medium heat.

2. Add onion and let cook for a minute or two.

3. Add celery and allow to cook for another two minutes.

4. Toss in grated carrot and garlic paste and allow to cook and sizzle for a minute.

5. Pour in chicken stock.

6. Season with herbs de provence, black pepper, paprika, rosemary, celery seed, and vinegar.

7. Bring to a boil and add split peas and lentils.

8. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

9. Add sweet potato, rice³, and frozen spinach and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

10. Stir in parsley and Parmesan and (if using) the leftover kale and beans (or whatever other miscellaneous leftover veggies you might have).

11. Serve with garlic toast and extra cheese.

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¹ Original recipe calls for 1 Tbsp. herbs de provence. I don't have pre-mixed herbs de provence, so I just eyeballed it. I think I put in 1 bay leaf, ~1 tsp. fresh parsley, maybe 1/2 tsp. each of {marjoram, basil, rosemary, and savory}, and ~1/4 tsp. {thyme, fennel seeds, and oregano}. And I would've put in ~1/4 tsp. tarragon if I'd had any. I guess that works out to a bit more than a Tbsp. Oh well, it was delicious and I certainly didn't mind a bit of extra seasoning. It smelled amazing while it was cooking!
² If using fresh spinach, I recommend using a full, lightly packed, 2 c. The frozen spinach is packed very densely, so 8 discs (1 c. equivalent) seemed like enough. Fresh spinach, even lightly packed, will not be nearly so dense. Also, if you plan on using fresh spinach, I would add it at the same time as the parsley and Parmesan since it just needs to be warmed rather than thawed.
³ If you put in the full cup of rice, you may need to add more water part-way through cooking. I found I needed to add ~3 c. This is why I said I'd go with only 1/2 c. of rice next time.