Today I decided to make a common household Indian dish called Dal. There are many varieties of Dal, which is kind of like a cross between split pea soup and baked beans. The recipes that I came across used all variety of legumes (beans, peas, lentils, etc) and of course lots of spices. I decided on one kind that used Chick Peas because I had some on hand. Dal is often served with rice and Naan bread. Its almost always vegetarian and its really good for you.
A couple of weeks ago I was reading some information on eating…because in case you haven’t noticed, I enjoy food and cooking (hey we all eat appx 3 times a day so its not like Im alone here). One thing that I’ve made a conscious effort to at least try often is not feeling like I need to eat meat with every meal. A lot of times when I cook I think of a meat and then build a recipe around that. It’s possible to eat something and even get a good amount of protein without adding meat.
So save a little money, some extra calories and fat and get creative with vegetables, fruits or beans. You might even decide to try your hand at making Dal.
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Chana Dal
Ingredients
12 oz (about 1 and 1/2 cups) of Chana Dal (or Garbanzo/Chick Peas if you don’t have an Indian market nearby)
1 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Tumeric
2 tsp of Chili Powder
2 tsp of Cayenne Powder
1 tsp of Celery Salt
2 tsp of Garlic powder or 1 clove of fresh chopped Garlic
1 Tbs of onion flakes or 1/2 chopped onion
Directions
Remove skins from Chick Peas (lay several at a time out on a paper towel and rub with another paper towel to loosen skin)
Smash the Chick Peas with your fingers as you place them in a small sauce pan. Add about 1 cup of water and salt and tumeric.
In a small frying pan drizzle a small amount of olive oil and add the rest of the ingredients. Fry on medium heat until the onions are cooked down.
When the Chick Peas start cooking down add the fried spice mixture and stir.
Serve with or over rice. Goes well with flat bread of Indian Naan bread.
