How to cook chana dal

General directions for cooking chana dal
- just plain chana dal to use in recipes that call for cooked chana dal

This recipe is for 3 cups of uncooked (about 8 cups of cooked) chana dal. I like to make a lot of chana dal at one time and freeze what I don’t use right away.

Ingredients
3 cups uncooked chana dal
cold tap water (for rinsing)
6 cups cold tap water (for cooking)
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bircarbonate)

Step I: Inspect and pick over chana dal
Inspect the chana dal for foreign matter. Discard foreign matter and grey shriveled-looking chana dal, if any.

Step II: Rinse chana dal
Place the chana dal into a strainer (or small collander) and place the strainer into a large bowl. Fill the bowl with cold tap water and, using your hands, mix the dal around; discard the rinse water. Repeat this rinsing process 3 or 4 times until the water runs almost clear. Discard the final rinse water out of the bowl.

Rinsed and drained chana dal – ready for cooking

Step III: Soak chana dal
Place the strainer with the rinsed chana dal back into the empty bowl and add cold tap water to cover the chana dal with 2 – 3 inches of water. Let the chana dal soak at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.  Then remove the strainer with the dal from the water in which it was soaking. Discard the water.

Step IV: Add water, baking soda and cook
Place the chana dal that has been soaked and drained into a large pot, and add 6 cups of cold tap water to the pot. Add the baking soda and mix it around with a large spoon.

Bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat down to gentle boil (almost a simmer). Gently boil for 10-12 minutes, uncovered, or until the chana dal is cooked through but not mushy.  Note: While cooking the chana dal and water mixture will froth quite a bit, but that’s OK.

Chana dal cooking – lots of froth at first

Chana dal cooking – less froth later

Yeild: About 8 cups cooked chana dal and some liquid you can use in cooking or making soups.

Storage: Store your cooked chana dal in your refrigerator or in freezer.

Why baking soda?
Adding some baking soda when cooking beans or dal (split beans) is traditional in many South Asian recipes. It helps soften the bean/dal in less time than it would take without the baking soda. In my experience, the baking soda cuts the cooking time in half. Also adding baking soda, makes the resulting food more alkaline-producing and there is scientific evidence that this is good for bones.  I am NOT saying that you should start ingesting baking soda to help prevent osteoporosis! But it you are interested to learn more about an alkaline- vs. acid- producing diet and its effect on bones, see:  Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century. Starting on page 349 of this American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article, you will find a short discussion of the health implications of an acid- vs. alkaline-producing diet.

Enjoy and be healthy!
~Leni

Quick and Delicious Dal

Tandoor Chef’s Dal Rajasthani

I had company coming for dinner the other night, but had no time to cook the chana dal recipe that I had planned to make. So I simply combined a few packages of Tandoori Chef’s Dal Rajasthani with some plain cooked chana dal. Delicious!

Plain Cooked Chana Dal

At the table, each person topped his or her dal with chopped fresh onion, chopped fresh tomato, and chopped fresh cilantro. We also passed the Cilantro  Chutney for those who wanted a bit more spiciness.

Tandoor Chef’s Channa Dal (available at Whole
Foods and some supermarkets in the frozen food section)

Ingredient list:
water, split lentils (moong, toor, channa, urad & masoor dals), onions, diced tomatoes (tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, citric acid, calcium chloride), canola oil, spices, tomato pasts (tomato past, water, salt, citric acid), garlic, sea salt, turmeric, curry leaves, fenugreek leaves, oleoresin of paprika, bay leaves.

Nutrition information, per 5 ounce serving:
6 grams fat
0 grams saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
470 mg sodium
14 g carbohydrate
5 g protein

And…after you mix the Tandoor Chef dal with your plain cooked chana dal, you end up with a delicious dal that’s lower in fat and sodium and has a lower glycemic index than Tandoor Chef’s Rajasthani Dal. So easy! So delicious! And so nutritious!

Enjoy and be healthy!
~Leni

Dal Soup

Dal Soup

This Dal Soup recipe was inspired by the recipe for Red Lentil Soup from the Global Stomach. But the Global Stomach’s recipe calls for curry leaves which is not a common ingredient. So I came up with a recipe for which the curry leaves are optional (but recommended).

According, to Julie Sahini, one of my favorite experts on Indian cooking, curry leaves are “this decade’s lemon grass.” You can find packages of fresh fragrant curry leaves on tender stems in the fruit and vegetable section of Asian markets. And, some of my green-thumb Indian friends even grow curry leaf plants in pots — outdoors in the summer and indoors in the winter.

While you can make this Dal Soup without curry leaves and it will taste great, if you make it with curry leaves, I think you will like it even more. Just throw about 20 leaves into the pot along with the onions. You do not have to remove the curry leaves from the soup. (I don’t eat them, myself, but I understand that they are edible as they are featured in recipes such as this cabbage and curry leaf recipe where you would, of course, eat the curry leaves.)

For more on curry leaves, my current favorite herb, see Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages and this Washington Post blog. And though, as it states in this blog, the Indian culinary expert, Julie Sahini, does not recommend freezing fresh curry leaves, I think it’s OK for a recipe like this where there are so many different flavors. For directions, on how to freeze fresh curry leaves, see Chowhound.

Note: The links in the ingredient list below will take you to Monamifood blog posts that give details about some of the health benefits of a particular ingredient and also, when applicable, how cooking and storage affect the bio-active components of that ingredient.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
4  medium tomatoes, chopped or 1, 15-ounce can diced organic tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Serrano chiles, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups vegetable broth
8 cups water
20 curry leaves (optional)
2 cups masoor dal (split red lentils), picked over and rinsed until the water runs clear
° Split red lentils can be found in Asian supermarkets, Indo/Pak grocery stores,       or Whole Foods (bulk section).

To pass at the table

Foods to pass at the table

 

• coconut milk (light coconut milk is preferable)
  • Just a tablespoon or so per serving is plenty. It adds creaminess but not a lot of fat.
• lemon wedges
• crushed red pepper (the kind you sprinkle on pizza)
• chopped fresh coriander

And if you have some steamed or lightly roasted kale on hand…just pass thre kale, too! Ladle this soup over the kale for a great beans and greens dish! (Hey, this is my favorite lunch these days!)

Directions
Add the olive oil to a large stock pot and heat over medium heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and saute the the onion garlic mixture for about 30 seconds. Add the tomato, tomato paste, curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, chile, salt and saute for another few minutes.

Add the vegetable broth, water, curry leaves (if using), and masoor dal, and continue cooking the mixture over medium heat. When the mixture comes to a simmer, partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the mixture simmer gently for 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

To thicken the soup after it’s cooked: Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to puree some of the soup, and then mix the pureed soup with the non-pureed soup;

At the table, pass the coconut milk, lemon, red pepper, and cilantro, as well as the steamed kale, if desired.

P.S. Asian supermarkets in the Northern Virginia area
Planning a trip to one of the Asian supermarkets in the Northern VA area? My favorites are: Super H and Hanaro. I’ve also heard that Lotte is a great place. Grand Mart is just OK in my opinion. And…if you go to Super H or Hanaro on a Saturday or Sunday morning (or maybe afternoon), it’s quite an adventure, because there lots people passing out samples to try! (I haven’t been to Lotte so I can’t vouch for the supply of samples there…)

Enjoy and be healthy!
~Leni

Lebanese-Style Lentil Soup with Kale and Spinach

The calendar says fall and the abundance of summer veggies has tapered off…so it’s time to start making hearty soups again! Yesterday my husband and I had lunch at the Lebanese Taverna where they serve a wonderful Lentil Soup (Shorba Addas) that’s rich in greens (spinach?) and spiced with lemon, garlic, and cilantro. With this soup on my brain today, I picked out a Food and Wine recipe to make a lentil soup like the Lebanese Taverna’s.

But instead of making the recipe as shown, I made the soup using Monamifood Garlic Flavors Cubes, Cilantro Sauce Flavor Cubes, and Zesty Citrus Flavor Cubes – which meant I didn’t have to run to the store for any ingredients; just open my freezer! It made it easier and faster to whip up this soup for a Sunday lunch…and, if you ask me, it made this wonderful soup even more delicious than it was when I made it by following the Food and Wine recipe!

This recipe makes a LOT of soup, so you will have plenty left over to give to friends or freeze – or both!

Ingredients

2 cups small green lentils, picked over and rinsed

* Small (really tiny) green lentils are available in our Whole Foods store in the bulk section. But this variety of lentils is not essential. I have used brown lentils before, with good results.

16 cups water (yes, 16 cups!)

3 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base (or Vegetarian No Chicken Base)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 very large onions, diced

2 pinches of crushed red pepper

4 Monamifood Smooth and Mild Garlic Flavor Cubes

4 Monamifood Cilantro Sauce flavor cubes

1 Monamifood Zesty Citrus Flavor Cube

1 bunch organic kale (curly variety), stemmed and torn into small pieces

2/3 of a 16-0uncd bag of frozen chopped organic spinach

Directions

In a large stockpot, place the lentils, water, and Better Than Bouillon Chicken (or No Chicken) Base. Partially cover and cook over medium heat until the lentils are barely tender – about 25 minutes. (Do not over cook the lentils or they will split and the soup will be grainy!)

Note: Unless you have two, large (11-inch diameter), non-stick saute/frying pans, you will need to saute the onions in two batches. If you were to put all the onions in one pan, they would steam rather than saute.

While the lentils are cooking, heat 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large 11-inch non-stick skillet. When the oil is hot, add half of the diced onions and one pinch of the crushed red pepper; saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to get lightly browned. Remove the onions from the pan and set them aside.

Cook the remaining onions with a pinch of crushed red pepper in the same 11-inch non-stick skillet. When the second batch of onions start to get lightly browned, add these onions — and also the reserved onions — to the pot with the lentils. Stir to mix.

Continue to cook the soup over medium heat. Add the cubes (Garlic, Cilantro Sauce, and Citrus) and stir the soup while the cubes melt. Taste and add a little more Better Than Bouillon Base, if desired.

Add the chopped fresh kale and cook for about 3 minutes. It will soften and turn a lovely deep green color. Then add the frozen spinach and simmer for another minute or two.

Individually season the soup at the table

Individually season the soup at the table! Just pass a small pouring container (creamer, perhaps) containing a few defrosted Monamifood Zesty Citrus Flavor Cubes and a small bowl with a few defrosted Monamifood Cilantro Sauce Flavor Cubes.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Curry and More – a partially-homemade lunch or dinner

I like a hot meal for lunch. My current favorite is Curry and More. I just don’t get tired of it!  It’s delicious and, of course, very healthy.  And, since I rely on some packaged frozen food, it takes no time at all to pack lunches for the entire week – which I put into the freezer so I can grab one anytime.

BASIC INGREDIENTS – use each of these ingredients

• Tandoor Chef Dal Rajastani

• Available in the frozen food section of Whole Foods and other grocery stores.

• Tandoor Chef Chicken Curry

• Available in the frozen food section of Whole Foods and other grocery stores.

• Turmeric

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Monamifood Cilantro Sauce

OTHER INGREDIENTS – choose those that you like best

• Frozen organic spinach

• Monamifood Roasted cauliflower

• Frozen peas

• Monamifood Lemony Dal

• Baked sweet potato, cut into thick rounds

• Quinoa

• Cooked brown Basmati rice

Directions

Defrost the Dal Rajastani: Plop it out of the plastic tray it was frozen in and put it into a glass container; heat it in the microwave until it’s soft enough to spoon out.

To the defrosted Dal, add plenty of turmeric (don’t worry, keep adding and tasting until you get the right amount) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; mix well.

Spoon one-third of the Dal into each of three glass containers. (For example,  I use a container that’s 7 x 5 x 1.5 inches.)

Now defrost the Chicken Curry in the same manner as you defrosted the Dal. If you like, you can add some turmeric and black pepper to the Curry too!

Spoon one-third of the Curry into each of three glass containers.

Place one frozen Cilantro Sauce flavor cube into the glass container.

Then fill the rest of the container with your choice of ingredients from the “Other Ingredients” list above – lots of veggies and some quinoa, rice, or sweet potato, too.

Put a lid on each container and put them in the freezer. Now you have a healthy frozen meal — ready and waiting.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

LENTILS: Lemony Dal

Why lentils?

“The anticancer diet is principally composed of vegetables (and legumes) accompanied by olive (or canola or flaxseed) oil or organic butter, [by organic butter I think Dr. Servan-Schreiber means organic butter from grass-fed cows, which should have much less saturated fat than regular butter], garlic, herbs, and spices. Meat and eggs are optional. They don’t represent the main ingredients of the plate.” (Anti Cancer, page 119)

While cooking beans from scratch may seem complicated and time consuming, cooking lentils from scratch is easy and pretty quick. What’s more, when you cook a large pot of lentils, you can freeze some of it for use later.

LEMONY DAL

This recipe is my version of Ismail Merchant’s, Nimbu Masoor Dal (Lemon Lentils), from his book, Passionate Meals, page 102. The Lemony Dal is smooth and lightly spiced with lemon and cinnamon and has just a little kick from the peppers. It goes well with just about anything you might serve!

Ingredients

¼ cup canola oil

2 medium onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

4 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks

• I used Cassia cinnamon sticks when I first made this recipe since that’s all I had on hand. But the second time I made it I used the Celon cinnamon sticks I just bought at Penzey’s.
• I’ve switched from cassia to Celon cinnamon because according what I just learned, Celon cinnamon contains practically no coumarin, but cassia cinnamon contains quite a lot l of this compound about which there are some health related concerns. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has a good FAQ about cinnamon. And, it should be noted that Germany has taken cassia cinnamon off the market in that country because of health related concerns.
• In the US, packages of cinnamon sticks don’t always tell you whether they are cassia or Celon cinnamon. But you can tell the difference between cassia and Celon cinnamon sticks by looking at them. To see the difference, click here.
• In the US, most of the ground cinnamon is cassia cinnamon but it doesn’t have to be labeled as cassia cinnamon. It can be labeled (and most often is labeled) as just “cinnamon.”  To be sure to get Celon cinnamon, you may have to shop at a good spice store where the particular varieties of cinnamon are clearly labeled.

2 pounds (4 cups) masoor dal (split red lentils), picked over for stray matter and then rinsed in cold water.

• For information about masoor dal (and other lentils), including photos, see The Cook’s Thesaurus.
• Masoor dal is available in international markets, Indian/Pakistani grocery stores, as well as natural foods stores.
• I like the organic masoor dal (organic split red lentils) found in the bulk section of Whole Foods.
• Note: Split red lentils turn lemon colored when cooked.

3 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger

4 cups filtered water

5 cups chicken broth

• I used Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Chicken Base (a jar of paste for making “chicken” broth) available at Whole Foods.  The non-vegetarian version of this product is Better Than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base.
• The culinary experts who did the taste testing for the new book, America’s Test Kitchen – Cooking for Two 2009, chose Swanson Certified Organic Free Range Chicken Broth as their number one pick. Apparently, it comes in 32-ounce brick-pack containers.

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne (red) pepper

• This small quantity of red pepper adds just a little heat – so you know it’s there but it doesn’t bite you.

1 organic lemon

• Since the lemon, including the peel, is included in this recipe, I highly recommend organic lemons.
• Note: If you can’t buy just one organic lemon and you have to buy a bag of lemons, that’s OK. With the extra lemons you can:
  • Make Monamifood Zesty Citrus Flavor Cubes.
  • Put some aside for later. Rinse the extra whole lemons and freeze them. To defrost, put the frozen lemon into the microwave — on the defrost setting (50% power) — for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes.

1 Monamifood Smooth and Mild Garlic Flavor Cube

4 bay leaves

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 fresh Serrano pepper, including seeds, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste if desired

Fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

Heat the canola oil in a large, deep pot over medium-low heat. When hot, add the sliced onions and cook, stirring a few times, until they soften.

Add the cinnamon sticks, masoor dal (split red lentils), and ginger to the pan. Stir to mix.

Add the water, chicken broth (or “chicken” broth), and red pepper; bring to a boil and then reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon and discard the seeds. Add the lemon juice, shell of the lemon, Smooth and Mild Garlic Flavor Cube, and the bay leaves to the lentil mixture; stir to mix until the Garlic Flavor Cube has dissolved; simmer gently uncovered for 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat edged spoon or spatula. (Note: If the dal starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, just add a little more water and stir.)

After 15 minutes of simmering, remove the pot from the heat. Remove the bay leaves, lemon shells, and cinnamon sticks; discard these items.

While the dal is simmering, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped onion and Serrano pepper. Cook, stirring until the onion starts to brown. Add this mixture, including the oil, to the lentils; stir to mix.

Taste and add salt and black pepper, if desired.

Note: If the dal appears a little soupy, let it simmer a little longer to evaporate some of the liquid. Or, just serve it a little soupy the first time, knowing that it will get a little firmer after it cools and gets reheated.

Sprinkle with chopped cilantro right before serving.

To freeze for use later

• I find it very convenient to freeze this dal in the regular-size (not the mini size) silicon muffin pan. When frozen, the dal “muffins” can easily be popped out of the muffin pan and placed into a plastic bag (the kind for the freezer), so you can use them anytime.

A few ways to incorporate this dal in a delicious light meal

• Here are some ideas for delicious light meals you can throw together quickly:
  • Lemony Dal topped with Monamifood Sun-Dried Tomato Flavor Cubes and served with quinoa and defrosted frozen spinach. For the non-vegetarian, add 1 Andouille Chicken Sausage.
  • Lemony Dal mixed with Monamifood Tomato and Onion Chutney Flavor Cubes and served with brown Basmati rice and defrosted frozen broccoli.

Note: These meals freeze well so they’re great for taking to work and heating up for lunch.

I hope you enjoy this dal as much as we do. And…if you find some new and interesting ways to serve it (under, over, or with something else), please let me know. Thanks!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni