Masoor Daal- Red Lentil Soup

Daal, or Lentils is a another favorite in India and Pakistan. Lentils are a part of the legume family. They are easy to make, and pretty cheap to buy. Since lentils are high in protein, they tend to be a favorite dish among vegetarians. Back before we had our daughter, and were poor young 20somethings, we would eat this almost every night for dinner. Honestly, I could eat this as often as I like and not get sick of it. It sure beats Kraft and Ramen!

Red Lentil Soup
Serves: 2-3 Prep: 5 minutes Cook time:~35-40 minutes

~1 cup Masoor dal (Red Lentils)
~1/4 teaspoon tumeric
~1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
~1/4 stick cinnamon
~1 teaspoon salt
~1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
~1 teaspoon cumin powder
~1/2 onion diced

~Fresh Cilantro, optional


1.) Place first seven ingredients, together in a medium saucepan.

2.) Fill the pot with water just 1-2 inches above the mixture. (Edit ~ 4cups of water)

3.) Bring the pot to a boil, and then decrease heat to a low simmer

4.) Cover & cook until the lentils are soft and tender, and have a porridge like consistency. This takes me about 35-40 minutes.

5.) Meanwhile, lightly brown the diced onions with oil, in a small pan.

6.) After lentils have cooked, add the cooked onions to the lentil soup. Cook for one-two minutes.

7.) Salt the lentil soup to taste and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with Basmati Rice.

Enjoy!

Aisha

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Simple Basmati Rice

Rice is a staple in any South Asian cuisine. It is cheap and versatile. The following recipe is a very basic rice recipe. It is easy to make, fragrant and most of all delicious. Later on, in this blog, I will show variations of this rice recipe.

Simple Basmati Rice
Serves: 2-3 Prep: 25 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

~1 cup Basmati rice*
~1 small onion
~2 cups of warm water
~1/2 stick cinnamon
~3-4 whole cloves
~pinch of salt

*You can usually find basmati rice in your local grocery store, in the ethnic aisle. If not, be sure to visit your local Indian/Pakistani store.

1.) Wash the rice under cold water and than let it soak in a bowl of water, for about 20 minutes.

2.) While the rice is soaking, you can dice the onion and place into a lightly oiled pan. (I use a ~3 quart saute pan)

3.) After the rice is soaked, go ahead and lightly brown the onions on medium heat.

4.) After browning the onions, add the 2 cups of warm water. Also add the cinnamon, cloves and salt. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat.

5.) Once water has boiled, drain the rice from the bowl and add to the pan. Again bring the water to a boil. Boil for one minute. Immediately turn the heat down to a low simmer. Cover the pan.

6.) After 10-15 minutes, turn off the stove. Let rice stand for five minutes. Fluff the rice a bit, serve and enjoy.













Aisha

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South Asian Cooking Basics: Garam Masala

Garam Masala means "hot spice" in Hindi & Urdu. Hot being because the spices are actually roasted before they are ground together.

Garam Masala is a very basic spice mix. It is so easy to make and is very versatile. You can add this spice to almost any Indian/Pakistani dish. A little bit goes a long way.



Garam Masala
yield- 1/4 cup Time:15 minutes

-1 Tb Cumin seeds
-1/2 Stick Cinnamon (broken into tiny pieces)
-1Tb whole black Peppercorn
-1Tb Coriander seeds
-1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger


1.) Measure first 4 ingredients into a skillet.
2.) Turn heat to medium, and roast spices for 5-7 minutes. They will turn a golden-brown color.
3.) Let spices cool.
4.) Add the roasted spices to your spice grinder. Add the ginger and grind all the spices together into a fine powder.
5.) Voila, you have your mix. You can store this in a container, in a cool and dark place. I store mine in a cabinet on the bottom shelf. This should last you about 3 months.

Enjoy!

Aisha

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South Asian Cooking Basics: Equipment

Wok
Photo Credit: cwf

Here's a basic list of equipment in every South Asian's kitchen:

• Wok, or deep frying pan
• Skillet, small and large
• Pressure Cooker
• Food processor, small
• Blender
• Basic Stock Pot
  
• Coffee grinder, for grinding spices
• Mortar & Pestle

Aisha

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South Asian Cooking Basics: Pantry & Fridge

Here's a basic list of items found in a South Asian's pantry:

• Basmati Rice
• Atta, Indian bread flour
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Garlic
• Chickpeas, canned

Here's a basic list of items found in a South Asian's fridge:

• Yogurt
• Ginger
• Fresh Mint Leaves
• Garlic-Ginger paste, just a simple combination of garlic and ginger, blended until soft
• Tomatoes
  

Aisha

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South Asian Cooking Basics: Spices

Photo Credit: jo-h
Clockwise from the top: Coriander, Mustard Seed, Cinnamon, Cayenne, Ginger, Turmeric, Cumin(in the middle)

My husband always likes to joke that his ancestors traveled around an entire Continent in order to obtain spices from my ancestors. And what do we know, the world of cooking was changed forever.

Spices are a big part of South Asian cooking. Almost every dish has some sort of spice that adds a whole new element to the overall taste. Here is a basic list of spices in every South Asian household:

• Cumin, ground or seeds
• Coriander, ground or seeds
• Cinnamon, usually sticks
• Turmeric, powder
  
• Cayenne pepper, powder
• Ginger, powder
• Bay leaf,- never eaten
• Cloves, whole-never eaten
  
• Cardamom,green, in pods or ground
• Mustard Seeds, whole
• Fennel Seeds, whole
• Peppercorn, black, whole

Many South Asians also make a spice blend called Garam Masala (Hot Spice). I will post a recipe of this mix, later this week.



Aisha

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Copyright Info

Text and Photography Copyright © Aisha Hoffman 2010, unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.

Please express written permission to spicyhabibti@gmail.com in order to use photos or text.

Recipes may be reproduced without permission, but must be linked back to this blog for credit. Many of these recipes are the hard earned work of my mother. :-)





SpicyHabibti by http://spicyhabibti.blogspot.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

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