Sambar Daal - South Indian Lentil Soup

Giant cilantro leaf attacks daal, 2 injured.

I absolutely adore Indian cuisine. It’s everything a half-assed vegetarian could want: flavorful, high in fiber, frequently deep-fried…

That being said, I find it darn hard to cook. That legendary mainstay of Indian cooking in the West, Madhur Jaffrey, has never done much for me. I’ve actually had better luck – a hit:miss ratio greater than 1:8, at least – with (I’ll whisper this) the internet.

Anyway, this daal is one of those hits. And how!

Sambar Daal – South Indian Lentil Soup
Adapted from South Indian Recipes.

Ingredients:
1 cup red lentils
1 tsp turmeric
1 1x2x1” piece of tamarind pulp (approximately the size of half a lime)
Canola oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds

Tempering:
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
8-10 curry leaves
2 small dried red chilies
1 large onion or 4-5 shallots, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced

2 Tbs sambar masala/powder
½ Tbs salt
¼ tsp asafetida (optional)

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
1. Start the tamarind pulp soaking for 20 minutes in 1 cup of hot water.

2. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat in a covered saucepan. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the red lentils repeatedly until the water runs clear.

3. Once the water is boiling, add the lentils, turmeric, and 1 tsp of the oil. Bring back to a boil, uncovered. Turn the heat down to medium and let the lentils boil while you prepare the tempering. If too much water seems to have boiled off and the lentils are starting to dry out on the top, add additional hot water to bring it up to the original liquid level.

4. Heat 2 tsp of oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Once hot, and using a lid to cover the skillet a protect yourself, fry the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and dried chilies until the mustard seeds have stopped popping, approximately 2 minutes.

5. Stir in the onions and carrots and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent. While sautéing, strain out the pulp from the tamarind juice, and throw out the pulp.

6. Add the tomatoes to the onions and carrots, and sauté for another 1-2 minutes or until softened. Stir in the tamarind juice and bring back to a boil. Let reduce for 3 minutes, then stir the tempering into the lentils.

7. Add the sambar masala, salt, asafetida, and half of the chopped cilantro. Simmer for 8 minutes, or until the carrots have cooked through.

8. Turn off the heat, and dish up, garnishing with the remaining fresh cilantro.

White Whole Wheat Naan

Why bake your bread when you can fry it in butter?

I can’t get over this semi-obscure King Arthur flour: white whole wheat flour! I’ve been subbing it in for all sorts of things: all-purpose flour, more all-purpose flour…and I think my dried-out whole wheat flour, once, because I leave my whole wheat flour out in a canister on the counter* as a warning to all other products that I can and will neglect them with wild abandon.

Anyway, what is this marvel of technology, this wonder of human ingenuity, this tidily-packaged bit of proto-dough delivered to your grocery by the Magical Flour Fairies? It’s hard wheat and thus high in protein, but unlike hardcore whole wheat (HWW) the bran doesn’t have the red pigments that give HWW its stronger flavor. However, it’s still a whole-grain and so it drives that source of daily happiness, personal contentment, and well-being: regularity.

White Whole Wheat Naan
Adapted from Julie's recipe derived from Simply Indian.

Ingredients:
½ cup warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup vegetable oil, plus extra for cooking
1 ½ tsp salt, divided
½ tsp wheat gluten (optional)
2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour, plus extra for dusting

6 Tbs plain whole yogurt

4 Tbs unsalted butter

In my house, you do as I say.  Butter that naan, boy!

Directions:
1. Dissolve the white sugar in the warm water, and then stir in the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes. It should start to foam; if it doesn’t, the yeast is dead. Toss it out with great solemnity, and try a non-yeast flatbread recipe instead**.
2. In a large bowl, stir the wheat gluten and ½ tsp salt into the flour, then stir in the egg and vegetable oil until dough starts to come together. Stir in the yogurt. Knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes.
3. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and place in a warm (~70 °F), still environment. I use the microwave with the door slightly ajar, so that the light is on but the door still holds in its warmth. Let the dough rise for approximately an hour.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a thick cylinder approximately 8-10” long. Slice it into 6 same-sized cylinders. Roll the cylinders into spheres with your hands, sprinkle a pinch of salt evenly over ech, and then gently press them unto a flat circle with your palm, and roll them flatter with a rolling pin.
5. Melt the butter in a plate with a shallow rim.
6. Heat a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add in just enough vegetable oil to thinly coat the whole skillet.
7. To cook the naan, dunk each piece in the melted butter and let the extra drip off for a moment, then place flat in the hot skillet. After 45 – 60 seconds, flip the naan and let it cook an additional 30 – 45 seconds.
8. Pile the naan together on a plate with a (non-damp!) kitchen towel draped over them, to keep them warm.

These guys keep for a week and a half if you store them in a sealed container in the fridge. They’ll keep okay in a sealed container at room temperature for about two days, but beyond that you’ll start to see some mold.


References:
King Arthur White Whole Wheat


* Wheat flour should be stored in the freezer, taken out for periodic exercise, and never looked full in the face.
** Coming soon: white whole wheat pita!