If you eat, love and make East Indian food enough the spices will become familiar enough for you to play with combinations. This is a dish that I made with yellow split peas. The split peas are very hearty, and high in fibre, amongst other nutritional notes. The spices help to make the food more digestible, the hing helps with gas and the tumeric helps clean the blood. Together the flavor is wonderful and the post digestive effect is wonderful!
White Woman Curried Split Peas
2 T ghee butter
1 dried chili pepper
1 t cumin seeds
1 t coriander seeds
1/4 t cardamon powder
1/2 t mustard seeds
1/4 t hing powder (asafoetida, an Ayurvedic herb)
1/2 t turmeric powder
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 t grated ginger
1 cup split peas, sorted and rinsed
3 cups water
1 large bay leaf
Salt to taste
Optional
1/4 cup slivered almonds, dry roasted
Green Vegetables
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon
Melt the ghee over a medium heat. Add the dried chili, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamon powder, mustard seeds, hing and turmeric. Let the spices cook and the seeds pop slightly. Then add the onions, garlic and ginger. Stir frequently until the onions are soft and cooked. Now add the rinsed split peas, and stir to cover the peas with the spices. After a minute add the water and the bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce to a gentle simmer.
Cook for 75 minutes, stirring the peas gently every 15 minutes. Careful that the heat is not too high causing the peas to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Now add the salt, stir to completely incorporate and let sit or cook a further 5 minutes. The dish can be served with a cooked grain and cooked greens. I like to cook the greens at the last minute right on top of the legumes, eliminating the need to use another saucepan! The almonds make the dish a little more fancy and rich, for special occasions. They can easily be dry roasted in a frying pan on a low heat. Shake the almonds around the pan every minute. Roast for a maximum of 5 minutes.
The dish ideally is thicker than a soup or a dahl but thinner than refried beans! Play with the consistency. I love to eat with my hands so a slightly thicker mixture is easier to group together with a leafy green and some rice.
4 Servings
Shanthi