May be Long

Have you entered my Craftsy online class giveaway? I have extended the deadline to May 25. Go ahead and enter it now!

May is the longest month in the calendar. Not just because it has 31 days. It is the last month of the school year, heralding all kinds of end-of-year activities. From recitals to picnics to award ceremonies to graduation and graduation parties. And, BolderBoulder. Several events are packed into each weekend. I would like an auto-pilot for this month!

In between all the necessary stuff, we try our best to pack in the unnecessary but fun stuff. Like the Erie Balloon Festival. This is a 3-day festival held in the neighboring town of Erie. My friend, Lisa, and I go every year and we were there last year, too.

Lisa is High Maintenance

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Dal Matters: Dal Makhani and the Taj Mahal

I had last seen it over three decades ago, as a little girl who was on a train from Bombay to Jammu. There are some images that are burned into my memory, and then there are others that seem more like hazy dreams in black and white. Strange.

Hazy in the morning light

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But I am home

You're going home after so long?

How did you stay away all this while? We try to go home every year, if not every other year.

Enjoy your trip home!

Didn't you miss home?

But I am home.

I bit my lips, quelled those words and smiled because they meant well. But try as hard as I might, I could not think of my visit to India as going home or returning home because I am home. My home is where my husband and child are. We build the walls of our home together. It does not matter where we live.

Recently, an Australian woman living in Boulder tuned into a Sydney radio channel while making dinner for her family and tweeted that "Surrounding myself with home is pretty awesome." Again, I brushed away those same words.

Hmmmm?!

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Dal Matters: Whole Moong Dal

Last weekend, my family celebrated Holi for the first time in the US. It isn't my favorite festival. I hated stepping out on Holi because I was a sure target for water balloons tossed from the 3rd or 4th floor. They hurt. People who refused to make eye contact through the year were suddenly pouring water all over me, touching me and plastering my face and clothes with color. No, thank you. I used to call it the "touch your neighbor's wife anywhere you want and get away with it" festival. This was Rangpanchami or Dhulivandan.

I did enjoy the real Holi. A lot. Mali-dada or the man who was the watchman-gardener-milkman for our little apartment complex would dig a large hole, fill it with twigs and dead leaves and set it ablaze. This, I later learned, was the funeral pyre for Holika, a demoness. The children would dance around the fire and chant:
Holi re Holi
Purana chi Poli

Mali-dada would crack open the coconuts we had given to him for prasad and then most of the women and kids would go to the terrace at the top of the building where much merriment would occur under the full moon, sans bhang.


We didn't partake of any celebrations in Chicagoland as it was always too cold and messing with powdered colors indoors was not something anyone was willing to take on in their homes. It was different last weekend: the weather held out at a breezy 60F with no rain or snow. Perfect for Holi.
We went armed with our Super Soaker but it was a little too breezy for that and Medha was disappointed. She's quite an ace when it comes to making sneak attacks and using the flash flood mode to douse her opponent with water. She made up for it by having a blast with the colors - apparently they smelled good, too. She was quite enthralled by her hair which soon had hues of purple and orange; a shower was the last thing she wanted to do once we got home.

Later in the week, she came home excited that the Time for Kids for that week had a picture of kids in Ahmedabad celebrating Holi.

Puran poli is the traditional food for Holi.

I don't celebrate Holi and I don't make Puran poli. Instead, I made whole moong dal. This recipe boasts a flavor that I had been trying to recreate from memory for what seems like forever. It is based on this recipe and is a keeper. There is no need to molly-coddle the whole moong with an overnight soak. A pressure cooker is all you need to ensure the soft creaminess of these beans.

Whole Moong Dal

• 1 cup whole green moong dal
• 2 tbsp ghee
• a pinch asafetida
• 1 tamalpatra bay leaf
• 1" cinnamon
• 3 cloves
• 1 whole red chilli, broken into pieces
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp garlic, grated
• 2 green chillies, slit vertically
• 3-4 tbsp cilantro, chopped fine
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste

1. Rinse the whole moong beans, drain and set aside.
2. Heat the ghee directly in the pan of the pressure cooker.
3. Add asafetida, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, and red chillies, followed by cumin seeds.
4. Add chopped onions and cook until they have softened some.
5. Add turmeric powder, green chillies, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes.
6. Add whole moong and approximately 4 cups of water.
7. Add red chilli powder and salt.
8. Add chopped cilantro.
9. Cook on a high flame for 2 whistles. Turn the flame to low and cook for about 45 minutes.
10. Do not release the built-up pressure; instead allow the pressure cooker to cool on its own.
11. When you can open the pressure cooker, adjust for seasonings, garnish with some cilantro and serve hot with rotis or steaming hot rice.

Notes:

1. What I love about this recipe, apart from its fabulous flavors, is that I don't need to plan a day ahead if I want to make this for dinner. One could soak the moong but it's not necessary.
2. Ghee adds a wonderful dimension to the phodni.
3. The original recipe suggests using some tomato paste to add an appealing color to the dish. It imparts no additional flavor so I skip that part.
4. To up the heat, increase the number of red chillies in the phodni and/or green chillies and/or red chilli powder.

Try it. It's a recipe you will want to make again and again.

Dal Matters: Masoor Dal for Rose

Her name may be Rose; she looks anything but...



This and other similar snide comments were whispered by visiting relatives and guests alike when they saw our maid, Rose. She was a tribal girl, an Adivasi, who had come to Bombay in search of a better life. She had some basic education so she could read and write in both English and Hindi, and she could count, too. She and her sister had dropped out of school because getting there took them several hours, as did getting back. They lived in a hut with a thatched roof in a remote area of Bihar and had to walk several miles for water on a daily basis. They had no electricity. Every year, she would go home for about a month, to take some of her earnings back to her family. The journey itself was long: several days by train, followed by several days by bus and about a day of walking. Every time she came back, she had lost a fair amount of weight from both the journey as well as the harsh conditions in which the rest of her family coexisted. We were like two lionesses - my sister and I - with nails drawn and teeth bared, when it was assumed that it was perfectly alright to snicker about her.

Rose was an excellent cook. She taught us many of her recipes, just as she learned many from us. The one that has stayed with me is her Masoor Dal. It is simple, it cooks quickly and it can be used copiously to drown rice in a large bowl and consumed in absolute bliss. Here is my adaptation of Rose's Masoor Dal.

Masoor Dal

• 2 cups uncooked masoor dal, washed and drained (hulled split red lentils)
• 2-3 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• pinch asafetida
• 10-15 whole black peppercorns^{**see notes}
• 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 beefsteak tomato (optional), sliced into 8 wedges
  
• 6 cups water
• juice of one lemon
• salt to taste

1. Heat oil in the pan of your pressure cooker.
2. Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add asafetida.
3. Add whole black peppercorn - careful now, as they have a tendency to pop right out of the pan and into your face.
4. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the tomato wedges.
5. Add masoor dal, water and salt. Stir well.
6. Cook under pressure until the dal cooks, taking care to ensure that it does not burn. The time and method varies depending on the type of pressure cooker. I usually cook it under pressure on medium-high and after the first 'whistle', I turn the heat down to low and let it cook for another 20-25 minutes.
   
7. Allow the pressure cooker to cool and open it only when it is safe.
8. Add lemon juice, mix well and serve over steaming hot rice.
   

Notes:

• Rose's original recipe called for a generous sprinkling of freshly ground black peppercorns over the dal just before serving. I prefer to add whole black peppercorn because it works for all of us. Those who can't deal with the intense flavor of black pepper can pick out the whole peppercorns. Those who need the punch can just munch on them.
  
• This dal is meant to be sour. However, you can add less lemon juice, if you wish.
• You could add chopped cilantro, too. I don't because this is my go-to dal when I am out of fresh green chillies and cilantro. You don't even need dried red chillies. You could add them if you wish, but why bother pulling out the cutting board? I chop my tomato and lemon right over the pan. Enjoy simple flavors with very little clean-up.
  
• I don't have a picture of the finished dal. I might update this post later with a pic and do a Priya on you.
  

The funny thing is that no matter what they called her, everyone agreed that Rose had magic in her hands. Even funnier is that her real name was not Rose. She was Ruth.

(I know the ending does not make much sense. But that is why I am not a famous author that all of you are clamoring to meet. It is why I write a blog.)

Sambar with my eyes closed

Mumma, will you please write down this recipe? So that when you're dead, I will still know how to make this?

A compliment, I think!

Perhaps it comes from all that talk about my Mom's nankatai, not knowing which recipe was the one she used and how the only way to figure it out was to try both and hope that one of them was it. Either that or it's the prolonged morbidity that has prevailed in our conversations lately!

So many bloggers start their blogs as a legacy of recipes and memories for their children. Others because they hit a wall looking for accurate pictures and descriptions of ingredients and homemade Indian food. Many others use it as a tool to share memories with family and friends far away. Me? I wish I had something even remotely as endearing. But no, I just wanted to figure out how Blogger worked. This was back in March of 2003, and food & family was the easiest topic to blog on. It didn't matter whether anyone would ever read what I had to say, I just needed to figure out what the hype was all about.

I've never really conformed and our life path after marriage certainly hasn't either. However, once there was a child in the picture, a lot of things changed because we didn't want our child to bear the brunt of our lifestyle. But she remains different as do her thought processes, shaped as she is by our attitudes and outlook. Sometimes, a tad too mature for a 9 year old. Other times, too naïve.

So when she asked me to write down the recipe, I wondered whether that could be the new meaning of my blog. And my inner core shuddered. But, like I said, when there is a child or there are children, one's perspective changes. I don't know that my entire blog or all the recipes, anecdotes and thoughts are for her - it's really for me and it's perfectly alright to be selfish on some fronts, I think - but this recipe is definitely for her. As is the backup of all my recipes. My blog, though, remains mine and a release for me and me alone.

One Pot Sambar

• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• pinch asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 Thai green chilli or 2-3 finger hot pepper, sliced vertically into two
• 2 sprigs of kadipatta
• 1 red chilli, broken into 2 pieces (optional)
• small ball of tamarind fruit pulp, about the size of a dollar coin
• 1 can of Hunts organic diced tomatoes
• 1 cup tur dal (split pigeon peas)
• 3 cups water
• 3 heaped tsp MTR Sambar Masala
• salt to taste
• cilantro for garnish, optional

1. Heat oil in the pan of your pressure cooker
2. Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add a pinch of asafetida, followed by fenugreek seeds.
3. Add green chillies and kadipatta. Be ready with a splatter screen if these are wet or damp.
4. Add the turmeric powder and the red chilli, followed by the diced tomatoes. Add about 1 can of water, too. This way the can gets rinsed out, too!
5. Add about 1/4 up to 1/3 cup water to the tamarind fruit pulp and heat it in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Mash the tamarind pulp till you have a thickish paste. Discard any fibers or seeds. Add more water if needed.
6. Wash the tur dal in a couple of changes of water and add it to the pressure cooker, followed by 3 cups of water, tamarind paste, MTR sambar powder and salt.
7. Cook under pressure for at least 3 whistles. Sometimes I forget and let it go to 4 without any problems! Or cook for as long as it takes for tur dal to cook in your pressure cooker.
8. Allow the pressure cooker to cool before you open it. Remember that it is still cooking in the built up pressure and you want to make the most of that. Plus it is wise to be safe.
9. Stir well, adjust for salt and sambar powder, if required. If it is too thick for your liking, add more water and adjust the seasonings again.
10. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or idlis or dosa.

We love this sambar so much that we can be found sipping on it, rather like soup. It's quite perfect for this cold weather!


Notes:

• If you aren't sure if 3 tsp of MTR's Sambar powder is the right amount for you, start with 2 tsp and once you have opened the pressure cooker, do a taste test to see if you need more. I used only 2 teaspoons until recently as Medha could not handle the spice.
• I have used a lot of sambar powders, and made my own, too. But for a quick sambar, I think MTR wins in taste and flavor. MTR spice mixes can be found in any Indian grocery store. Remember that you want the Sambar Powder and not the Instant Sambar Mix. Avoid the latter!

If you don't yet have a pressure cooker, I would exhort you to consider buying one as a Christmas gift for yourself. Think about it: it takes 20 minutes to cook something that would otherwise take at least an hour, if not more. It's taken me almost 2 hours to cook 2 cups of dal in a stockpot in Boulder, which is over a mile high in altitude. So much fuel and time wasted, not to mention the added frustration. You can cook directly in the pressure cooker or you can get inserts or containers that fit in the pressure to place different items. Target and Kohl's have pressure cookers in their cookware aisles or you could buy online from Amazon. I have only recently started cooking meat in the pressure cooker and it's so tender that I wonder what that mental block was all about! At least give it a thought!

Update: I am sending this to the lovely Linda, who is the host for JFI: Toor Dal.