Reasons to Season!

I must confess - I am a lazy cook. But then, I must also divest myself of false modesty - to be honest, I also consider myself a good cook - as far as my family is concerned, the dishes I whip up (when I am not feeling lazy :) are usually new, usually fresh, usually different.

My family has no clue, so let me let you in on a secret: I am the queen of leftovers and the queen of redo and refresh. And this skill will come in handy to those hordes of busy, busy women, who are constantly juggling homes, babies, careers, and personal growth.

I didn't feel like cooking something new for dinner yesterday. Alas, I also have an image to live up to. So I fished in my fridge and found a day old dish of leftover dal (Yellow Lentils). We had eaten some and there was a lot leftover because, rashly, I had asked my husband to pressure cook the dal while I was out shopping, without giving him precise instructions about quantity. He made 2 cups worth for the 3 of us and of course, there were left-overs. As left-overs go, it looked unappetizing and boring.

So, I decided to refresh the dal and give it a make-over by just adding some seasoning.

Here's what you need:
1 cup cooked yellow dal (lentils)
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped red peppers

To season:
1 tsp Olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cummin seeds
1/4 tsp asofoetida powder

To garnish:
1 small bunch (handful) of green cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder

To make:
Heat a pan and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Wait until the seeds crackle and add the cummin seeds. Brown for 10 seconds and add the asofoetida powder. Now add the chopped red peppers and stir fry for just 30 seconds. Add the dal and add some water (eyeball it to get the consistency you want for the dal) and salt. Bring to a boil and take off the flame.

Add the garnish: grated carrot, red chili powder, garam masala powder and green cilantro leaves.

Serve hot over white or brown rice.


This is the reason to season!!