Dosakaya Pappu

The best dal I've ever made by anyone ever.

Ingredients

1 cup toor dal (lentils)

4 cups water

2 tbsp canola oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 tbsp kosher salt

bit of fresh cracked pepper

6-8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

~10 curry leaves

1 tsp whole cumin seeds

2 long green chilies, sliced

1 large dosakaya (yellow Indian cucumber - mildly sour), peeled, de-seeded, and cut into ~1" chunks (as you would a cantaloupe)

2 tomatoes, diced

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp fresh ground coriander

1 tsp tamarind paste

Directions

Rinse the dal in cool water and strain. Repeat three to four times, or until the water runs clear-ish. Bring four cups of water to a boil. Add the dal, reduce to medium-low, and cook lightly covered until they pretty much turn to mush, stirring occasionally (~1/2 hour).

While the dal cooks, heat oil on medium in a large sauté pan or pot and cook the onions with the black pepper and half the salt until they are translucent (~5 mins). Add the garlic, curry leaves, cumin seeds and chilies, and cook a few minutes longer to soften the garlic and get all the flavors absorbed into the oil. Add the cooked dal and stir in the remaining ingredients, minus the tomatoes. Reduce the heat a touch, cover and cook until the dosakaya is tender (12-15 mins), stirring every so often. Add the tomatoes during the last few minutes of this process.

Serve over rice. I should have garnished it with cilantro, but I forgot to buy any. You should totally garnish it with cilantro, that would be nice.

Suggested Album Pairing

Miserable Cowboy Songs, Cole Bee Wilson. Cole is a friend of a friend. I love this album. The connection to food? None.

Vegan Saag

Made this for St. Patty's Day, just getting around to posting it. Yeah I know, the picture kinda blows. I'm getting lazy about plating. Fucking delicious though, and easy to make.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh spinach

1 lb collard, mustard, or turnip greens

2 tbsp canola oil

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

1 tbsp salt

bit of fresh cracked black pepper

6-8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 long green chili, sliced

1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1 lb fresh spinach

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 tbsp garam masala

1/2 tsp fresh ground coriander

Directions

Bring a quart or so of water to boil in a medium-large soup pot. Add the greens and cook over medium heat for about a half hour. Briefly blanch the spinach for a few minutes and drain the water.

Heat oil on medium in a pot or deep sauté pan and cook onions until translucent (~5-7 mins) with the black pepper and half the salt. Add the garlic, chili, and cumin seeds, and cook a couple minutes longer, until the garlic is soft. Use more chilies if you want spicier saag. Stir in the greens. Add the coconut milk with the garam masala, coriander and remaining salt. Cover and keep on medium for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to make sure nothing sticks. Transfer the mixture to a blender, pulse a few times, and that's it. 

I like mine a bit chunky. If you like yours more puréed, then by all means, purée that shit, son. Serve with naan or over rice.

Suggested Album Pairing

Rum, Sodomy & the Lash, The Pogues. If an Irishman were to eat Indian food, I imagine it look something like this.

Epic Fail I: Karela Stir-Fry

I do not believe this was a fail on my part. This was God's fail.

Ingredients


2 tbsp canola oil
5 karelas (bitter melon), innards removed and sliced into 1/4" pieces
1 onion, sliced
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
bit of fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp fresh ground coriander
1 tsp amchoor powder
1/4 tsp fresh ground cinnamon
1/4 cup golden raisins
1" fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp brown sugar


Directions


Ok, first lemme explain how I got myself into this mess. I was at my Indian grocery store buying ingredients for my very Anglo-friendly mulligatawny, but they don't carry yellow squash. I found this ugly-ass bumpy fucker that looked like it could be an Asian cultivar of summer squash, so I asked the grocer what the little green beast was. He was in a heated exchange with another customer (speaking Hindi I think) and didn't hear/ ignored me. The customer's wife heard my query and excitedly began extolling the virtues of this miracle fruit/ vegetable/ abomination of all things holy. It cures diabetes, it detoxifies the body, it's good for the heart, etc. She instructed me on several cooking methods, and really took her time to make sure I understood why it was important for me to buy this monster. I appreciated her passion and her effort. Plus she was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous which I wasn't expecting when she turned around, and it hit me like a cattle prod so for the few minutes she was talking to me I was kinda stunned and couldn't do much more than nod. When I walked out I'd bought five of the damn things. And here's what I did with them:


Cut the karelas in half lengthwise and scoop out the inner pith and seeds with a spoon. Chop them into 1/4" pieces as if you were slicing celery. Soak in ~4 cups of water with a tbsp of salt and the juice of one lemon, and put it in the fridge for a couple hours. Drain and dry the melon pieces. Heat oil in a sauté pan on medium. Throw in the karelas, onion, salt, and pepper, and cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine, and cook for another 5 mins. That's pretty much it. I ate it with a piece a chapati.


That is, I tried to eat it with a piece of chapati. I couldn't do it. I just could not do it, man! Too fucking bitter. I've read elsewhere that I should rub the karela with salt straight up, not in a solution, and let it set for a couple hours before rinsing it off to make it even less bitter. But this was so bitter, bitter beyond imagination (and I like bitter), that I don't think I'll ever try it again.


Why am I posting this? I dunno, maybe to show that I fuck up sometimes, just trying to keep the blog honest. But like I said, I really don't think this is my fuck-up. So if you're feeling a bit adventurous (or perhaps masochistic), do it. Go eat some bitter melon.


Suggested Album Pairing


Bitter Melon Farm, The Mountain Goats. Because The Mountain Goats rawk. And by rawk I mean John Darnielle writes incredibly insightful lyrics and tight hooks.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Root veggies get no love. I'll show you how to treat 'em right.

Ingredients

6 small red potatoes

4 carrots

3 turnips

2 beets

2 medium onions

1 large rutabaga

1 head of garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

bit of fresh cracked black pepper

handful of chopped dill

Directions

I'm aware that in a strictly botanical sense, most of these vegetables are not true roots. Potatoes are tubers, carrots are taproots, and onions and garlic are bulbs. But in culinary terms, these are all root vegetables. Ok.

Peel the turnips, beets, and rutabaga. I usually don't bother peeling potatoes and carrots, but I leave that up to you. Chop all the vegetables down to roughly the same size (I went with ~1" cubes, maybe slightly smaller). Smash all garlic cloves to remove the peels, and cut each into thirds (you want big pieces). Throw everything into a large bowl, except the dill, and use your hands to mix it all together. Place the mixture onto two large baking sheets (I like leftovers - cut this recipe in half if you don't). I wouldn't recommend putting tin foil on the sheets first, the starchier vegetables will stick. Put the sheets into a preheated 400° oven and cook for 20 mins. Remove from oven and give the veggies a good stir so that a different side is touching the pan. Increase heat to 430° and cook for another 15 mins. Take it out, add the dill and yer done.

I chose these particular vegetables because I like these particular vegetables. Use celeriac, parsnips, jicama, sweet potatoes, or whatever it is that you dig.

Suggested Album Pairing


Heart of the Congos, The Congos. Roots reggae.