Roasted Mung Dal with Greens

This recipe is quintessential Bengali fare. Roasting the Mung Dal gives this dal an earthy, nutty flavor, and makes this one of the dals, which in my opinion, can stand on it's own. While the recipe itself is easy to follow, you need a specialty five-spice mix called Panch-phoron, ubiquitous to Bengali cuisine. This dal used to be made with spinach in our family, but an over abundance of swiss rainbow chard had me experiment with the leafy vegetable, and to my delight, this dal is even better with swiss chard, than with spinach. Dal is an incredibly versatile meal. It is easy to cook, vegetarian, high in fiber, and offers some protein. The addition of swiss chard  only adds to the nutritiousness. This dal, by the way, like many types of dal, freezes well, but should be used within 45 days of freezing.

Roasted Mung Dal with Swiss Chard

I cup of split, peeled, mung dal
4 cups water
1 tbsp. panch-phoron
1 Indian bay leaf (different from Western cuisine)
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste
1-2 dried red chiles
2-3 cups packed spinach or swiss chard leaves, washed, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. ghee* or mustard oil (substitute with regular cooking oil if you don't' have those)

*Omit if vegan.

The dal after should look like this after roasting.

Pick the dal over to remove blemishes, or small pebbles. Roast the mung dal on medium low heat until it has developed a lovely reddish color. Stir frequently and be vigilant, this stuff burns quickly and you'll need to start over.

Once the dal has finished roasting, rinse once or twice to remove dust and impurities. Add water, the bayleaf, the turmeric powder, and red chiles, and bring to an easy simmer. When the dal is almost tender add the chopped leafy vegetable of your choice. Return to simmer. Heat the oil or ghee in a small pan and add the panch-phoron. When the seeds have sputtered, add this to the dal along with salt to taste. Simmer until the vegetables and dal have cooked through and are tender. Serve over hot rice (GF), or better yet, with some chapati.

Zucchini Curry

This simple and light curry cooks up fast and without fuss, and tastes great with any kind of roti (Indian breads), although rice works just fine too. 

Zucchini Curry.

half a red onion, thinly sliced
small piece of ginger, finely shredded (you want about a half teaspoon's worth)
half teaspoon of whole cumin
1 Indian bay leaf (tej patta)
3 green cardamom
1 clove
small stick of cinnamon, no more than an inch long, otherwise it gets overpowering
quarter teaspoon of garam masala
quarter cup of diced tomato
quarter  teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander, and turmeric
pinch of sugar (optional. It's a Bengali thing)
1 medium potato, peeled  and cut into fairly small pieces (par boiling these while prepping everything else saves time)
1 small and not too hot jalapeño, sliced (optional)
1 medium zucchini, cut into quarters lengthwise and then cut into pieces
quarter cup frozen peas
a few sprigs of cilantro, chopped (optional)
salt to taste

Heat a little bit of oil in a pan and add the whole cumin,  bay leaf, cardamom, clove, cinnamon. Let it heat for a moment, and then add the onion. Sauté for a few minutes and then add the ginger. Continue to cook on medium heat until onion starts to caramelize. Add the ground spices, except garam masala (and sugar if using), and sauté for a minute before adding the chopped tomato. Cook on medium heat while breaking up the tomato chunks with the back of your cooking spoon. Season to taste with salt. Add a little water and simmer the gravy for 3-4 minutes. Add the potatoes along with a little water, and let cook in a closed pan on low to medium heat until the potatoes are done. ( If you parboiled the potatoes, add all the veggies at once). Add the zucchini, peas and jalapeño and simmer. When the zucchini is cooked to your preferred texture, remove from heat, and add the garam masala. Stir to combine and then add the chopped (if using) cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime or lemon.

This is  a great side dish or light lunch.

Holding on to Summer Salad.

I just posted this salad to my facebook and judging by the number of 'Like' clicks the colors must appeal to everyone.  I created this salad a few months ago and it has become a huge hit among family and friends alike. The simplicity of this salad is the key. It comes together in mere minutes but I do recommend letting it sit for an hour to allow the flavors to come together. The other appeal of this wonderful salad is that the options for change are limited only to your imagination.

A doctor's appointment a few days ago was a wake-up call. I was placed on cholesterol lowering medication. Frankly, I have no intention of taking them. I will work at changing my dietary habits even more and eating a healthy, colorful, balanced diet without sacrificing flavor. This salad is a good step in that direction.

Ingredients

One can chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
1½-2 cups seeded and diced cucumber
A good handful of cherry tomatoes halved or 1 good size tomato seeded and diced
... Half a sweet pepper (capsicum) seeded and diced (any color will do)
2 tablespoons of chopped onion
half a grated garlic (optional)1 tablespoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
***
And now that you have the basic ingredients it's time to have fun. Toss, it all together and get creative. Alter the flavor by changing the dressing. For acids you can add balsamic vinegar, lemon juice or red wine vinegar. For the seasoning add pepper, mint, basil, parsley or whatever else you feel like.
Added toppings that are wonderful are feta or any tangy goat cheese. If you like up the spice factor by adding diced jalapeno.

Skip the olive oil and make a dressing by mixing yogurt, the seasonings, and onion (plus garlic if using) together. A Yogurt based dressing will work extremely well with some extra chopped onion and plenty of mint.

The chickpeas make this salad is quite substantial. Along with some crackers or toasted pita bread it would make a great light lunch.