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| Aftermath |
There is little point in trying to deny it - I am a messy cook. In the picture above you can see the residual repercussions from the creation of a daal, Bombay potatoes and poppadoms. I have never been a tidy soul in real life and it would appear that I have transplanted that ethos into the kitchen.
I began my cascade of carnage by cooking a moong and masoor daal. Ever since I spent a week in India I have fostered a curious love for daal, they seem to eat it at just about every occasion. I have tried different lentils and pulses, but to be honest with you, each one I make takes a slow, inexorable slog towards the very same daal I always seem to make - a tarka daal (no otter jokes please).
A tarka or chaunk as it is known in Hindi is simply a selection of dried spices tempered in hot oil and thrown in to a dish at the very last moment. Its intention to infuse potent flavours in a flash.
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| Mung bean and red lentil tarka daal |
- Whichever lentil you happen to use, always wash them in cold, running water at least with 3 or 4 washes. They are always dusty and this process alleviates, or at least reduces the amount of scum you need to to remove during cooking.
- Place the washed lentils (I used 350g) into a bowl. Add 1 litre of water.
- Add 3 thin slices of ginger (no need to peel).
- Add a teaspoon of ground turmeric.
- Bring to a slow simmer (not a boil). Skim off any scum that happens to surface. Lower the heat, cover but leave a small gap, and cook for 45-50 minutes.
- The consistency should be like the photo, thick-soup like. Adjust this if necessary with adding more water, or increase the heat and boil some off. Add a teaspoon of salt.
- Add 4-5 tablespoons of neutral oil to a pan.
- When it is hot add a hefty pinch of asoefetida.
- Add a teaspoon of cumin seeds. They should ideally pop after 10 seconds or so.
- Add 3 whole, dried chilli's.
- Add one thinly sliced small onion. Cook until it becomes brown and crunchy (not black and incinerated).
- Add 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves. After 30 seconds, tip the entire contents of the pan (oil and all) into your lentils.
- Do take care when you add the hot oil. It can spit.
I decided to make some Bombay potatoes too. My partner's mother gave me a spice mix for Christmas and I decided it was time to utilize them. I boiled some potatoes until they were tender, then I fried them in batches in hot oil, in my karahi. At the last moment I chucked the spice mix in (which admittedly had far too many sesame seeds for my taste - such is the risk you take with pre-mixed sachets).
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| Bombay Potatoes |
As a final act of gluttony I decided to make some fresh poppadoms. These I simply quick fried in very hot oil. They are, of course, delightfully greasy. You can pretend to yourself that they are at least a little bit healthier when you drain them on some kitchen roll.
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| Poppadoms! |
It was at this point that I noticed a critical error in my banquet. I was about to embark on a totally vegetarian Indian evening. The very concept of no meat charged me with kitchen rage, but by this time I had sunk 4 corona's. Hey ho. Veggie it was.
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| That is not salt. It is a delightful glean on my daal. |
