Dhal Curry-sri lankan cuisine.

Dhal Curry
Parippu

Travelling the world is a passion I hope I never tyre of. While many travel to see the place, my primary goal is to taste the place. On my recent trip to Sri Lanka, I had the pleasure of tasting so many curries. What pleased me most was the fact that there was an endless choice, all labelled as curry. This particular curry was simple and unusual. I have decided to recreate it to the best of my ability using my palate, eyes, and mind.

Dhal Curry, served with coconut sambol and pappodum

Serves 6-8  persons

2 cups mixed dar/ lentils
1/ 2 tsp turmeric
1 1/4 tsp salt
4 cups water
3 oz/ 50 gm butter

12 pieces kokum


For the Tarka
coconut cream like butter
2 shallots in rings  (onion)
3 fresh chillies, green and red
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 small stalks curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of palm sugar
2 tsp whole green fennel
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 inches pandan leaf
1/2 cup coconut water

Optionally
Add a tsp of grated fresh ginger 

In a pan, cook the washed dal with the turmeric, salt, water and butter. 
This should take an hour. Avoid overcooking or turning into mush. 
Add the kokum for the last 15 minutes. This allows the dried kokum to rejuvenate and burst with its flavors. 
In a fry pan, heat the coconut oil and add the onions. Lightly saute` and continue to add all the other ingredients listed, in order, so it cooks well and does not burn. Loosen it with the coconut water and pour it over the cooked dar, stirring it in. 
The finished dish should be moist but not watery. 
Serve with either warm naan, Sri Lankan roti, paratha or pappadum.

Tips

Kokum is a dried fruit and is tart. For best results, it needs to be soaked in hot water for 15 minutes before adding To avoid this step, I like to add it to the boiling pot of lentils toward the end. 
The best substitutes for kokum are a tsp of tamarind pulp or the freshly squeezed juice of a lemon. The tamarind will make the colour darker and browner, while the  lemon juice will keep it bright golden yellow. 
Palm sugar is often substituted with jaggery, coconut sugar, brown sugar, or demerara. 
The pandan leaf is hard to touch and you need just a few pieces to add. It has an aroma of raw rice and is easily found in South Asian stores. 
If shallots are unavailable, use small yellow or white onions. Shallots are generally sweeter, while larger onions can be sharper. 
This dhal curry is served with a sambol made up of coconut or caramelised onion and a sweet and hot mango chutney.

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

Photo Courtesy Niloufer Mavalvala

Grain, lentils and pickled vegetable Salad

Grain and Lentil Salad

 

 

Aren't healthy salads a treat when they taste good too? Here's one with a variety of grains, including lentils, quinoa, wild rice, and bulgur wheat. 

In a pan heat 3 tbsp olive oil
Add
1 1/2 cup each of 
brown lentils
bulgur  or cracked wheat
quinoa
wild rice

Mix well and add 6 cups of meat broth or chicken stock.
Add to the pot
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ras el hanout
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp freshly crushed garlic

Bring everything to a boil and lower the heat. Allow it to cook through. Once the liquid has evaporated, cover and steam for another 20 minutes. 
Overturn all the grains onto flat cook sheets and allow them to cool. 

Squeeze fresh lemon all over. 

Before serving, assemble it with a cup of each of your three favourite pickled vegetables. 
mushrooms, beetroot, and red pepper. 
Keep approximately 1/2 cup of liquid from these, like the oil and vinegar. 
Toss

Also add 2 cups of your favourite piece of cooked meat in squares, like sausage 

1 cup pecans or walnuts, broken 

Sprinkle all over 1 cup of finely chopped herbs like mint, parsley, corriander, etc. 

1 1/2 cups goat cheese, crumbled 

1 cup fried onions, crisp 

Optionally 
1 cup kalamata olives
1 cup artichoke

Tips
The idea is to keep the cooked grains whole and not mashed up. Keep it moist and glistening with olive oil. taste for salt. 

The different choices are to give it the perfect taste, texture, and colour. 

Add your favourites to make it perfect.

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

For more delicious salads and recipes
Niloufer's Kitchen : Moroccan Cuisine http://amzn.to/NKMoroccan

Quinoa Kichri

Quinoa Khichri 

Khichri, Khichdi, and Khichuri are derived from a Sanskrit word simply meaning "rice and lentil". 

It has many variations and is popularly referred to as a comfort food. The texture is generally wet rather than dry, similar to a risotto. It is often seasoned with clarified butter or pure ghee. From the Greeks to the Persians, it was a favourite of the Mughal Emperor Akbar! 

The Egyptians and their neighbours add vegetables to it, while the Indian sub-continent likes to serve it with yoghurt or other forms of curry. The people of Maharashtra living on the Arabian Sea, however, tend to add shrimp to their Khichri. 

It is generally the simplest and healthiest form of solid food introduced to babies. It is affordable as a self-contained complete meal, making it the food of the masses. Many cultures dedicate a meal of khichri during their week of wedding festivities.

A serving of a simple Quinoa Khichri

Gluten-free people will appreciate the quinoa khichri. It has lots of nutrients and digests easily. 

In  a pot measure
1 cup quinoa
1 cup red split masoor lentils, washed and drained
1 cinnamon stick

salt to taste 

Add 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth and bring this to a boil. Lower the flame and allow this to cook until the liquid is reduced and you can see the top of the grains.

Simmer for 30 minutes, covered. 
Fluff with a fork and serve.

Tips
Soaking them overnight before cooking takes away the tad of bitterness the outer shell of this ancient grain can sometimes have. If you do not have the time, soak them for a few hours and drain. 

The stock may have enough salt already, but add a little first. 

If desired, season with black peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf, and crushed fried onions, just as you would for khichri. 

If you want to eat this as a side to a grilled piece of chicken or fish, add a touch of lemon zest, orange zest, finely chopped parsley or any favourite fresh herb for flavour. 

Alternately, add chopped black or green olives, mushrooms, nuts; the choices are endless.

Eat this with a yogurt based kudhee if you wish or other foods like Patio and Sas.
Healthy eating!!

For more on Parsi Food recipes and its origin read my cookbooks
The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine and The World of Parsi Cooking Food Across Borders.

Try a Prawn Qunioa Salad 
Read more about the grain Qunioa





Comment from Tamizan Esmail on fb....

btw, i made the quinoa kichdi and it was fantastic! Even better than regular! thanks Niloufer