RECIPE: Chana Dal (Vegan)

[Guest guest]

Hey, all my recipes lately are vegan - but don't let that worry anyone - this is

still a

*vegetarian* list. I do note, however, that in the recent poll almost half of

the veggie

respondents were vegan, but that's a small sample ;-)

 

OK, Back to business at hand! Those caring for diabetics will also find this a

useful dish.

(It's okay, it's not a diabetic dish either LOL but hey no reason we can't all

enjoy the

benefits!)

 

Chana dal is like a small chickpea, split, the way I have bought it. Looks also

a lot like

yellow split peas, but behaves a little differently in the cooking.

 

This recipe is slightly adapted from http://www.mendosa.com/chanarecipes.htm

I made it yesterday and found it easier than it looks and perfectly delicious!

 

CHANA DAL (VEGAN)

 

2 cups chana dal

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger

1 Tbs. ground coriander

1 tsp. cayenne (or more to taste)

2 cups tomato sauce (about 1 can)

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

 

Cook dal in 4 cups of water until tender along with the onion and turmeric. This

took a

little over an hour, but will vary depending upon the age of the chana dal and

those

unknown factors which always plague the cooking of lentils and beans :-) You

will want to

be sure not to let it boil over (what a mess) or boil dry, so you may, like me,

need to add a

little extra water at some point, depending on how high your heat is.

 

When cooked, puree about half of it, using a hand-held blender (or put half in a

standing

blender). There will still be some interesting texture here.

 

Leaving the dal aside, put a nonstick skillet (large enough to hold all that

dal) over

moderate heat and toast the cummin seeds for 10 or 15 seconds, add the ginger,

stir for a

few more seconds, then add the coriander and cayenne, stir, and add the tomato

sauce.

Let this come to the boil and reduce the heat so that it simmers nicely in the

spices for a

minute or two.

 

Add the dal and stir for a couple of minutes or so, salt, remove from heat, and

add the

lemon juice.

 

Serve over brown rice or grain of your choice together with any steamed

vegetables you

like!

 

Best, Pat