Meh-Day, March 24, 2025 - Dinner Time

[Kathleen]

It's been that kind of day with absolutely no reason for it. Meh. Yeah, that sums it up. But food always makes the day better! I had sloppy joe's with corn and potato salad. What's on your plate?

 

[forty_caliber]

Roasted lemon garlic chicken breast, mashed taters, corn-on-the-cob.

.40

 

[blissful]

Mushroom barley soup, it was quite good, served with ww toast.

 

[cjmmytunes]

Egg drop soup with vegetable teriyaki noodles, chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Leftover soup from last night. It always tastes better the day after you make it.

 

[pepperhead212]

Today I made a fairly simple dal, with the last of the dill, as the main flavor. Started by measuring out 1/2 c each of moong dal and masoor dal, rinsing well, and setting aside to drain. Then I started with a generous cup of diced onion, cooking over medium in about 2 tb olive oil in a large saucepan, adding 2 tsp (probably did more!) 3 medium large cloves of garlic, mashed, and minced, and sautéed a minute, before adding 4 c of water. Then I added the drained dal, 3/4 tsp turmeric, and about 1½ tsp salt, then I brought it to a boil, reduced heat to a simmer, covered, and cooked 20 min. Then I added about 4 tb dill, and a generous cup of diced bok choy, and let it simmer, while getting the tarka ready.
This was just 2 tsp oil on a medium low heat, starting with 3/4 tsp black mustard seed, and 1 tsp cumin seed, cooked until they start popping a little, then about 10 curry leaves and 1/2 tsp asafoetida, and cooked it until the leaves crispen up, then poured it on top of the dal, and stirred in, with about a quarter cup of chopped cilantro. I ate this with half of one of those breadsticks I made, cut lengthwise. Have about a quart leftover, which has already thickened.
Adding a couple tsp of the green chili paste to the onion and garlic, sautéed for a few minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The ingredients for the tarka, plus the turmeric, dill, and some bok choy, to add with the dill. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The cooked dal, ready for the tarka to be added, followed by a little chopped cilantro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Starting the tarka, with some black mustard seeds, and cumin seeds cooking in oil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Some asafoetida and curry leaves, cooked until crispy, then poured into the dal. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The tarka, added to the dal, to finish off with some chopped cilantro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished dill dal, serving with one of those bread sticks I made. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[BAPyessir6]

Today I made a fairly simple dal, with the last of the dill, as the main flavor. Started by measuring out 1/2 c each of moong dal and masoor dal, rinsing well, and setting aside to drain. Then I started with a generous cup of diced onion, cooking over medium in about 2 tb olive oil in a large saucepan, adding 2 tsp (probably did more!) 3 medium large cloves of garlic, mashed, and minced, and sautéed a minute, before adding 4 c of water. Then I added the drained dal, 3/4 tsp turmeric, and about 1½ tsp salt, then I brought it to a boil, reduced heat to a simmer, covered, and cooked 20 min. Then I added about 4 tb dill, and a generous cup of diced bok choy, and let it simmer, while getting the tarka ready.
This was just 2 tsp oil on a medium low heat, starting with 3/4 tsp black mustard seed, and 1 tsp cumin seed, cooked until they start popping a little, then about 10 curry leaves and 1/2 tsp asafoetida, and cooked it until the leaves crispen up, then poured it on top of the dal, and stirred in, with about a quarter cup of chopped cilantro. I ate this with half of one of those breadsticks I made, cut lengthwise. Have about a quart leftover, which has already thickened.
Adding a couple tsp of the green chili paste to the onion and garlic, sautéed for a few minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The ingredients for the tarka, plus the turmeric, dill, and some bok choy, to add with the dill. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The cooked dal, ready for the tarka to be added, followed by a little chopped cilantro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Starting the tarka, with some black mustard seeds, and cumin seeds cooking in oil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Some asafoetida and curry leaves, cooked until crispy, then poured into the dal. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The tarka, added to the dal, to finish off with some chopped cilantro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished dill dal, serving with one of those bread sticks I made. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Is dal usually always the texture of thick soup/stew? I vary the texture on mine constantly, (depending on what I'm pairing it with) sometimes making it thin if over rice, then thicker to scoop/eat with Idli or roti. Is there a generally accepted texture though?

 

[Jade Emperor]

Smoked Pork Loin with Apricot Sauce, Chips and Veggies

 

[dragnlaw]

Frozen Hamburger, Frozen Hash Browns - easy delisciuosus, nice and drippy.

 

[Jade Emperor]

Is dal usually always the texture of thick soup/stew? I vary the texture on mine constantly, (depending on what I'm pairing it with) sometimes making it thin if over rice, then thicker to scoop/eat with Idli or roti. Is there a generally accepted texture though?

@pepperhead212 ‘s dal looks perfect to me.
Dal can be a side dish or a main, and you can make it however suits you. I’ve had some that is quite a dry texture, and others more soupy. It’s like rice dishes in Asian cuisine - the variants are endless. Because it’s a staple, these dishes are often made with whatever you have available.
For example the Bok Choy in the above example is a bit odd to me, but whatever.

 

[taxlady]

I wanted to keep it simple, so I had a hamburger steak with soft sliced onion, sautéed mushrooms, home fries made from leftover Greek roast potato, and the last of the salad I made a few days ago. I really enjoyed that.

 

[pepperhead212]

Is dal usually always the texture of thick soup/stew? I vary the texture on mine constantly, (depending on what I'm pairing it with) sometimes making it thin if over rice, then thicker to scoop/eat with Idli or roti. Is there a generally accepted texture though?

The texture is whatever you are aiming for, just like you said. And there are so many varieties of dal, that will give you different textures, in different times. The two I used are the ones that break down the quickest, and often I'll add a quarter cup or so to a thinner soup, like mushroom so, just to thicken it.

Back in the late 80s, a Pakistani couple opened an Indian grocery store, that I delivered mail to, and after walking past all those different types of lentils and other legumes, on about the third day I asked the guy which of those lentils would be best to cook, to keep them from turning mushy, and stay whole, for that salad I'd been making for a few years. He knew immediately what to suggest - the chana dal - and showed me the others (now I know they were the moong and toor dal) that look similar, but cook differently. Ever since then, chana dal is probably the one I have used more than any! I later found out that they are actually a type of chick pea, split and hulled.

 

[Jade Emperor]

At our market, there is a health food store that sells the lentils already spiced up, made by an Indian couple. It’s very well balanced (spice wise) and it’s basically add water and cook.

 

[taxlady]

Pepper, you had me confused for a minute. I was thinking, "Isn't chana dal chickpeas?" Then I got to the part where you wrote that it is chickpeas. I don't think I have ever seen them uncooked. I think I have had them in one of those Tasty Bites Indian side dishes in a pouch.

 

[FrankZ]

Pepper, you had me confused for a minute. I was thinking, "Isn't chana dal chickpeas?" Then I got to the part where you wrote that it is chickpeas. I don't think I have ever seen them uncooked. I think I have had them in one of those Tasty Bites Indian side dishes in a pouch.

I love the dal makhani ones.

 

[pepperhead212]

Pepper, you had me confused for a minute. I was thinking, "Isn't chana dal chickpeas?" Then I got to the part where you wrote that it is chickpeas. I don't think I have ever seen them uncooked. I think I have had them in one of those Tasty Bites Indian side dishes in a pouch.

Here they all are uncooked. There's one more - a green chana, but I'm out of it, and the local place doesn't carry that, so when I go up to the Indian supermarket, a little further away, I'll get some. Anyway, the chana dal are those black ones, split and hulled. The dal is simply any of their legumes that has been split - it doesn't necessarily mean hulled, too, though it usually is. The moong dal and urad dal are two that are frequently found with the skin still on, but split (they can actually be seen in this photo, urad dal behind the chana dal, and the moong dal on the far right), and there may be more. The splitting and hulling makes the dal cook faster, and even the ones with the skins left on cook quite a bit faster. I frequently use them in non-Indian dishes, for this reason!
Chana dal, kala (black) chana, and the regular chana. Out of the green chana now. by pepperhead212, on Flickr