Sabji Dal Soup

-

When Munira lived nearby, she'd make a yummy vegetable dal soup. I've wanted to give it a try for awhile now, and after buying pounds of red and mung dal at Costco, decided it was time. I looked at a recipe and then winged it a bit. I got the curry leaves from a plant Munira gave us, but didn't have peanuts -- next time!

Ingredients

3 C cooked red or yellow lentil
1 red (or white) onion, chopped
2 C cabbage, chopped
1 C carrots, chopped
1 C potato, chopped
1/2 C raw peanuts (optional)
2 C tomato, chopped (or 1 can diced)

2 T canola oil
hot pepper, diced
1 knob ginger, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 C cilantro

1 tsp salt
1 T cumin seed
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp black cumin seed
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp coriander
A few curry leaves (if available)
8 C veggie broth
Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

Cook lentils (2 minutes in instant pot, if using).

Saute onions with salt, ginger, mustard seed, black cumin, and hot pepper for about 5 minutes. Add remaining veggies, peanuts, and garlic, and saute a a few minutes. Add tomato and cilantro, and saute. Add remaining spices and curry leaves, and mix for a couple more minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil, for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat, squeeze on lemon juice, eat!


Popular posts from this blog

Whole Wheat Bread

-
Image
When we visit Robert and Judy, we often get to sample Robert's latest delicious homemade bread.  Robert shared with me the NYTimes recipe he follows for no-knead bread . He uses this recipe (also below, with whole wheat) with all whole-wheat flour, but suggested that I use some white flour the first time. I bought a 6 qt enamel dutch this week for this purpose, using it for the first time yesterday to make a yummy mushroom white bean gratin . Today I gave the bread a go. It turned out great! Definitely doing this again.  Notes: 1/4 tsp yeast is enough for slow rise white; Robert suggested 1/2 tsp for heavier whole wheat bread, or even1 tsp yeast if you want to try shorter rise time (e.g., 10-hour instead of 18 hr). He also adds some flax meal and tries a mix of a few different flours. Ingredients 3 C flour: at least 1/2 C white or oat, rest whole grain; for example: 1 C white flour (or oat flour) 1 C whole wheat flour 1 C whole wheat or rye 2 T flax meal (optional) 1 T honey (...
Read more

Mushroom White Bean Gratin

-
Image
Elsa made this dish for a dinner party a couple of times, served with a salad. It was so good; I loved the rich flavor from the white beans and veggies and crusty bread -- so much that I bought a 6-qt cast iron dutch oven largely so I could try this out. The recipe below I've adapted some to add more veggies and a mix of fresh herbs. Ingredients 1/4 C oil 1 leek (or onion), finely chopped 3 large carrots, cut in 3/4" pieces 3 large celery, chopped (optional) 1 large potato, chopped (optional) (or other root veggies) 10 oz mushrooms, sliced 4-5 cloves garlic, minced 2 T flour 1 C water 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 T tomato paste OR 1 can diced tomatoes 1/2 tsp thyme 1/2 C dry sherry 30 oz white beans (cooked, or two 15 oz cans) 4-5 slices country bread, cut in 1/2" cubes 1/4 C oil (olive or canola) 1/4 C minced parsley OR mix of fresh herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, sage) chopped Instructions Chop and dice the veggies. Whisk together the flour and water.  Saute onion (with...
Read more

Crispy Sheet Pan Tofu

-
Image
Purple Carrot's  Crispy Sheet Pan Tofu  was relatively easy, with a couple nice twists, including the lentil grain mix, dressing, and layering. I don't expect to order more from Purple Carrot (see below*), but was glad for this recipe. I tweaked it to use  mujadara  and tried different veggies for dinner with Judy and Robert when they visited. Thanks, Robert, for the nice photo! Ingredients 1/2 C dry grains (mix of lentils, rice, quinoa) OR make mujadara  (yum!) 6 oz green beans 6 oz broccoli florets Other veggies as desired (mushroom, peppers, etc.) 16 oz extra firm tofu, pressed & drained 1 tsp coriander 1 T canola oil pinch salt and pepper lemon zest (other spices, like garlic and red pepper flakes, as desired) miso dressing: 2 T lemon juice 1/4 C hemp seeds (optional) 1 T white miso paste 1 tsp sesame seeds 1 T olive oil 3 T water Instructions Cook the grains in instant pot or with 1 1/4 C water on the stove (bring to boil, simmer 25 minutes). Remove fro...
Read more