Diana's Moong Dal With Potatoes And Swiss Chard

Recipe Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons	22ml	Coriander seeds
3		Whole cloves
1		Cinnamon stick - (4" long)
		Seeds of 2 green cardamom pods
4		Peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Paprika
1 1/4 teaspoons	6.3ml	Turmeric
1/4 teaspoon	1.3ml	Cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cups	296ml	Whole unpeeled moong dal
6 cups	1422ml	Water
1		Ginger root - (1" long) - finely chopped
3		Garlic cloves - minced
1		Dried hot red chile or cayenne pepper - to taste (small)
2		Red boiling potatoes - each cut 8 pieces
2 cups	80g / 2.8oz	Chopped Swiss chard leaves - (packed)
1 tablespoon	15ml	Sea salt
1/2 tablespoon	7.5ml	Sugar
2 tablespoons	30ml	Oil - (to 3 tbspns)
1 tablespoon	15ml	Onion - thinly sliced (large)
1/2 tablespoon	7.5ml	Cumin seeds
1		Brown cardamom pod - (optional)
1		Bay leaf (large)
3		Serrano chiles - 2 chiles seeded,
		All chiles chopped
3		Garlic cloves - crushed
2		Tomatoes - chopped
		Juice of 1 lemon - or to taste
1 tablespoon	15ml	Butter or ghee - (optional)
1/4 cup	4g / 0.1oz	Chopped cilantro

Recipe Instructions

Grind coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, green cardamom seeds and peppercorns in spice mill. Place in bowl and stir in paprika, 3/4 teaspoon turmeric and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

Wash dal and remove any stones. Put in Dutch oven and add water, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, ginger, garlic and dried chiles. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer, covered, until dal has softened, 40 minutes.

Check to see if dal needs more water. Add potatoes, chard, salt and sugar and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

In large skillet over medium heat, saute onions, cumin seeds, cardamom pod and bay leaf in oil until onions are slightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add serrano chiles and crushed garlic. Stir 1 minute. Add ground spice mixture and fry 1 to 2 minutes. Add more oil or water if needed to keep mixture from drying out and scorching. Add tomatoes and stir until tomatoes soften, 2 minutes.

Add onion mixture to moong dal. Stir together and heat to simmer. Cook, covered, making sure dal does not stick, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add butter and stir. Remove cardamom pod and garnish with cilantro before serving.

This recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.

Each of 8 servings: 167 calories; 911 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 2.4 grams fiber.

Source:
The Los Angeles Times, 08-18-1999

Rating

Average rating:

Unrated, please add a rating

Submit your rating:

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10

Click a star to rate this recipe.