Punjabi Dal Palak 

(North Indian Kale & Legumes)

This was based on the spinach dal recipe of My Tasty Curry. I had kale, so I figured I'd try it this time; next time, it'll be spinach, like the recipe. I made the dish in an Instant Pot (not sponsored). Basically, I just cooked everything together for about 18 minutes on Manual/High Pressure, and let the pressure come down by itself.

This is a blend of spices, fresh ginger, greens, tomatoes, and 3 different kinds of legumes. I used mung dal (yellow split mung beans) and toor dal (pigeon peas), like the recipe, as well as masoor dal (red lentils). I didn't even think of pre-soaking the toor dal, but as I prefer to overcook dal anyway, it came out okay. I know better, so I count that as "operator error" (= my own error). The end result was just a little heavy and very thick -- but that just lends it more to other uses, so it's all good! 

I like having so many nutritious ingredients cooked all together like this. Next time, I'm sure it will be even yummier! 

My Tasty Curry Website, Punjabi Dal Palak

Chana Dal Kichdi 

(Indian Rice & Legume Porridge), 

mixed with leftover Spring Veggie Sambhar

Here the dishes are pictured with store-bought whole-milk yogurt. The Chana Dal Kichdi recipe is from Archana's Kitchen and made recently, while the Sambhar had been frozen during the summer. I don't know that this is at all any kind of traditional combination, but I wanted to add something with veggies to the Kichdi. (I enjoyed it also with potato chips, not pictured.) The end result was very creamy and nourishing. 

My version looks a bit different from the lovely photos on the Archana's Kitchen website, as I first ground up dry chana dal. I mixed this with some water, covered it, and let it sit in the counter during the afternoon. I've mentioned before, that I've been testing out this method, as otherwise, I have to soak and cook the dal twice as long, and then grind it up, in order to be able to eat it. I thought that for me, this might save some effort. The only thing is, 1 cup of dry dal seems like a lot more, once it's ground up! Also, I didn't half-cook the dal first (as in the recipe) before adding it to the rice, so the rice took a long time to get done. Next time, I think I'll cook the dal separately, before adding to the rice. All of these issues are not the fault of the recipe, but were caused by my experiments veering from the recipe.

Archana's Kitchen Website, Chana Dal Kichdi

Lauki Chana Dal 

(Zucchini Chana Dal Curry)

This was based on the recipe of Not Out of the Box. The original recipe calls for bottle gourd, but since I didn't have that, I substituted zucchini. It looks a bit different than her beautiful photos, as I first ground up dry chana dal, mixed that with a little water, and then let it sit for a few hours, before adding it to the veggies. (I did this to save time. Otherwise, I have to soak chana dal for twice as long as the recipe, cook it for twice as long, and then put it through a blender or food processor. If I don't, then I can't eat it.) The dish also includes fresh tomatoes. I made this last month, but just realized I hadn't yet shared the pic. Although it doesn't look exactly like the original, it was still satisfying and nourishing. 

Not Out of the Box Facebook

Not Out of the Box Instagram, Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle Gourd Chana Dal Curry)

Not Out of the Box Website, Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle Gourd Chana Dal Curry)