09.7.2012 How making dal is like writing poetry
Reading a great poem feels effortless.
No trace of the toil and struggle the writer endured bringing the piece
into the light.
So with food, a great meal lingers. A great dish
fills you with satisfaction, eclipsing the effort put in. No trace of the chopping, stirring, seasoning, just the finished feast.
When I made this dal (my first venture into Indian cooking), I thought of poetry.
I thought of the process. Of stitching together a poem the way I stirred the lentils.
I add a word here or there, a dash of turmeric, a pinch of cumin, stir some more.
The fragrance alone
is akin to the sensation of curling up with a book of poetry when you're really in the mood.
Choosing spices, like pondering the perfect word in a line.
The right word can make a poem sing, and the wrong word, fall flat. So with food. The right spice, balance. The wrong spice, muddled.
Each step in the recipe, a poem's stanza.
Separately, you cook the dal, toast the spices, grind the spices, boil rice, prepare a slurry of coconut milk.
When each component is joined together, the recipe is whole. The poem complete.
When eaten, only the layers of flavor emerge. None of the measuring, toasting, grinding. Only heat
and sweet.
Dal
Recipe slightly adapted from Chef Kevin Penner
My dal took longer than 40 minutes to cook, and I needed to add a bit more water. A soak of the beans before cooking might help the next time around.
1 cup split mung dal
2 teaspoons turmeric
5 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 cup coconut milk
Cooked basmati rice, for serving (recipe follows)
Cilantro, for serving
1. Put the dal, turmeric, water, and salt into a 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, for about 40 minutes, or until the dal is somewhat soft and porridge-like.
2. While the dal cooks, toast the spices and prepare the coconut milk. Place the coriander, cumin, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes in a dry sauté pan and toast them over low heat until fragrant, just a couple of minutes. Grind in a spice grinder until very fine.
3. In a 1-quart pan, add the olive oil, garlic and shallot. Cook over medium heat until just softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the ground spices and cook for 1 minute.
4. When the dal is cooked, add the coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt if needed.
Serve with rice and cilantro.
Basmati Rice
1 cup long grain basmati rice
1 3/4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Add all ingredients to a small pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for a few minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.
Reader Comments (9)
I'm a new reader here and I am loving it.
This is really great, Nicole. I recently purchased one of Madhur Jaffrey's very early cookbooks from 1973 An Invitation to Indian Cooking on my kindle ap for the iPad.I love the authenticity and honesty of her writing.
I don't have a cookbook recommendation but I'd be happy to share one of our family recipes if you're interested!
Beautiful photos and a lovely post. I love dal to oblivion, but your post made me realize that I don't talk about it much. Possibly because it is so basic to our meals. Thanks for making me think about it.
I'm not sure how I feel about the coconut milk addition to the dal. Is it authentic to the Indian dal? I don't know. All I know is that it's not what my family would do with their dal. They'd see it as unneccesary to something that is already tasty so doesn't need an added boost of flavour, and is lighter without the addition. Besides, coconut-based curries occupy their own place in the pantheon of dishes served with rice. I have to say this made me hungry though. Authenticity is redefined through the ages, no?
Most of my Indian cooking knowledge comes from my mom, grandmom, mother-in-law; family cooks who are the best I know. But when I can't talk to them, I turn to Sanjeev Kapoor's books or his website. He has never let me down. The books I have are from Bombay - I'm not sure they can be found in the States - but I saw his book 'How to cook Indian' in a bookshop here in San Francisco the other day. It's a release for the American market. I cannot imagine it would be anything but great as a resource.
Tarla Dalal's website and books are also a wonderful resource.
'Masala Farm' by Suvir Saran is a wonderful example of authenticity inspiring creativity. It's a lovely amalgamation of Indian and Indian-inspired western dishes. I love the recipe for biscuits in there.
I also love 'My Bombay Kitchen' by Niloufer Ichaporia King. I grew up around Parsi food but never learned how to cook it. This compendium helps a lot. If you want to learn more about this wonderful type of Indian food, this is a great resource. (That is the thing about Indian food: so very many types of cuisine differing by space and state.)
You could also never go wrong with practically any book from Madhur Jaffrey. She was talking about the accessibility and ease of Indian food in the West when it was still considered exotic. She's amazing.
Love your blog. So beautiful!
Love this Nicole! (And am I to take away that your entry itself is the poem this week? Tremendous!) I also think writing and cooking are alike - and that for both, studying and thinking are important, but in the moment there is a smattering of magic, or instinct, or maybe just subconscious guidance from the studying and thinking that gets you to the finished place.
I'm also loving everyone's suggestions on Indian cookbooks! I'm going to look for a Madhur Jaffrey and see if it inspires ....
p.s. did you see this in the Washington Post? Fair Food Program, yes yes http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fair-food-program-helps-end-the-use-of-slavery-in-the-tomato-fields/2012/09/02/788f1a1a-f39c-11e1-892d-bc92fee603a7_story.html
@christina: So glad you're enjoying the blog
@la domestique: Madhur Jaffrey seems to be one one of the experts -- I've added her books to my list.
@Hannah: In a way, yes, this is sort of a poem. I wanted the post to at least give off the feeling of one since I felt so strongly about it while I was cooking. Slowly easing my way back into actually writing poetry...
I am so pleased to have found your site while googling onion poems. I love food and poetry and the combination.
My favorite Indian cookbook is by Julie Sahni.
Ugh, no words. This is just lovely!
I would like to be third person to suggest Madhur Jaffrey, My mum bought me a Taste of India years ago, it is a terrific book. And Dahl.... I lived in India for a year ate ate it most days. It is one of the things I miss living in Italy. I could make it of course. Maybe I will.
Such well chosen words.