I’m continuing to cook India-inspired food after getting home from a trip. We enjoyed dal makhani with chapatis enough that I’ve already made it twice (though it’s rich enough that I shouldn’t too often…). For a recent dinner party, we put together a few dishes that worked well together, so I’m jotting down a few notes to remind myself in the future (caveat: these are more haphazard / incomplete ‘recipes’ than usual): ...
When I travel to a new region, I’ve realized the meal I’m often most interested in is breakfast. One reason is that most restaurant experiences at home are dinners– it’s rare to go out to eat and see what people make for breakfast. Fortunately, in many places around the world even modest hotels serve a breakfast buffet, so it’s easy to see and try a wide range of dishes. I was in India for the first time recently (maybe I’ll post a few food highlights later), and one of my favorite breakfasts was milagu pongal– a savory, soft rice porridge where the main flavors seemed to be ghee, cashews, black peppercorns, and lots and lots of fresh green curry leaves. I ate various versions of it– some white in color, some more yellow (whether from the addition of a yellow-colored dal, turmeric, or something else), and served with either coconut chutney, sambal, or a light yellow potato curry (aloo bhaji). Sadly, I may have only taken this one blurry phone photo of pongal (at the top of the plate)… ...
I’ve always enjoyed lentils as a quick-to-cook legume, and at some point I picked up Tarla Dalal’s “Dals” cookbook. Between that and living near Vik’s Market in Berkeley I had an excuse to try a range of dals (which I realize refers to more than just ’lentils’). Over the past few years I’ve gravitated towards chana dal (small split chick peas), and this general preparation– a hybrid of Mark Bittman’s “Chana Dal, New Dehli Style” and recipes from the above cookbook. Chana dal doesn’t cook quite as quickly as, say, red lentils (~70 minutes vs. 15) but if I’m already making rice or something else, how fast the legumes cook isn’t what limits how-long-until-dinner. And I enjoy the flavor and texture. ...