traditional Indian gram dal with spinach and brinjal.

An Indian-spiced lentil dish. Serve with a pita or rice for a complete meal.

Ingredients:

1 cup chana dal (a yellow lentil), washed.

5 cups water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

salt to taste

1 bunch spinach chopped.

1 brinjal chopped in cubes

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion chopped

1 tomato chopped or 3 tablespoons canned tomato(this one gives very gud colour to the dal)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon chopped green chili

4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

cilantro/parsley/coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation:

Cook the dal in the 5 cups of water with turmeric and salt for 30 minutes. Add the spinach and brinjals cook until the spinach and brinjal is tender and mixed with the lentils - about 35-50 minutes.

In a separate pan heat the oil, add the cumin seeds and as they pop add the onions. Brown the onions.

Add the garlic, tomatoes, green chili, coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, stir 2 minutes.

Add the daal and spinach and lemon juice, stir and heat through.

Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with pita or chapati or basmati rice.

Dal makhni

Dal makhani is a delicacy from Punjab in India.

Traditionally this dal was cooked on low flame, for hours, on charcoal. This gave it a creamier texture. It had malai (cream) or fresh butter added to it. When cooked at home these days, more moderate amounts of cream or butter are used. When prepared in restaurants, it is cooked slowly on low heat and often has a large amount of cream and butter added. Lentils and beans were soaked overnight for at least 8 hours and gently simmered on low heat along with ginger, garlic and a few other spices (garam masala). These are then combined with a tangy masala base which includes onions, tomatoes (chopped or puree) or dried mango powder or even pomegranate seeds.

I - THE DAL
- Black Urad Dal (Black Lentils)
- Rajma (Kidney Beans)

II - THE MAKHANI
- Yoghurt
- Double Cream/Fresh White Butter

III - THE SPICES
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Green Chillies
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Red Chilli Powder
- Cumin Seeds

The Soak
You've got to soak the Kidney Beans (Rajma) and the Dal for atleast 6-8 hours. Best done overnight.

The Cook
The cooking is generally done in a cooker. Add a little salt and water,mix both the beans and the dal and pressure cook for about 20 minutes, till the dal is soft.

- Start with heating the oil and add cumin and garlic - till this gets a bit brown
- Add the onions and fry till golden brown
- Add the other spices - chillies, garam masala, other spices, tomatoes, salt
- Lastly add the dal to this gravy
- You can add water as needed based on how thick you want the gravy
- Garnish with Cream and Coriander
- Add Butter to this delicious dish