4 ms·
An awesome alternative to rice and beans, just to throw in some variety, is rice and dal (lentils or split peas). The dal requires several spices, so it's a goo
by ramidarigaz 17y ago
An awesome alternative to rice and beans, just to throw in some variety, is rice and dal (lentils or split peas). The dal requires several spices, so it's a good idea to invest in a good spice collection. Actually its always a good idea to invest in a spice collection.
Anyway, my favorite dal recipe is thus (six servings, keeps forever):
1 1/2 c. dried lentils/split peas/etc...
4 c. water
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs butter/oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground tumeric
a small stick of cinnamon (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp fresh/ground ginger
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
6 cloves
Cook the lentils.
Cook some rice.
Heat the butter in the pan and then fry all the spices until the cumin and mustard seeds begin to pop.
Pour the spice mixture into the lentils and mix.
Possible toppings include: plain yogurt with dill (dried or fresh) diced cucumber, any variety of chutney.
I'd add a recipe for chutney, but the cooking and canning process is too long to put here.
This stuff is so filling and delicious (if you like Indian/Nepalese food), and it lasts forever in the fridge.
- sgoraya 17y agoMy quick yogurt mint chutney recipe (I like it with the rice / dal recipe above): 1 cup of fresh mint leaves, removed from the stalks. 1-2 green chilies/jalapenos (more or less depending on your heat tolerance) A few coriander sprigs Pulse chop the above ingredients in blender until a nice paste; You can ad a bit of water for consistency. Mix the paste with yogurt - taste it along the way and ad more of the paste as you like. Rice / Dal / Yogurt chutney combo got me through college :)
- messel 17y agoAnother delicious sounding recipe. Perhaps there should be a HN foodie guide?
- hyperbovine 17y agoMmm, I loves me some dal. If you get tired of Asian-themed food, you can make similarly healthy and cheap fare using black beans and assorted Latin American spices (cumin, chile powder.) Both these are way better for you than ramen, which is basically just bleached flour and MSG. If you're making just enough to afford Ramen you need to work a little harder, because that is not a sustainable diet. :)
- rjurney 17y agoProof of the pudding, what you say is true, startup #1 rice and lentil cooker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29871022@N03/3753093177/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/29871022@N03/3753093177/ The yellow lentils would just mush down and it would all be one substance that I could suck down on my single plate with my single fork. Lentil profitable. Also boiled milk and made my own yogurt to add to the rice/lentils, which made it filling. Kept me well fed while prototyping. At first I cooked spices in oil, then added that to make a makhani but... I got lazy and just ate the rice and dal.
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- thelonecabbage 17y agoThe point is to spend all your time working on PRODUCT and not cooking. Otherwise a pot does a better job of cooking rice than a rice cooker, and dried beans beet canned hands down. But those things take time. Were talking bare sustenance, to support that weak flabby life support system programmers call a body until the attached brain has finished making a product.
- aichcon 17y agoSounds like a "recipe" for disaster (excuse the pun). Part of success is learning to strike a balance that allows you to spend a lot of time on your product but also leave time for maintaining your personal health and sanity. You can't go full force, full time for very long without burning out. The pitfalls have been discussed here a lot. Cooking can be excellent opportunity to take a break from your work to refresh and nourish your mind, and also learn a new and valuable skill in the process.
- HeyLaughingBoy 17y ago1) Simple cooking really doesn't take much hands-on time. 2) Everyone needs some downtime. TAKE A BREAK!!! You don't have to work all the time. 3) For some, cooking is relaxing. See (2) above.
- messel 17y agoDamnit I'm on Atkins ramidarigaz but between yours and Paul's seductive suggested meals I'm terribly tempted to snap.
- RyanMcGreal 17y agoReally Easy Lentil Soup 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, julienned oil for sauteeing 2 cups green or red lentils, rinsed 6 cups boiling water 2 vegetable stock cubes 1 1/2 tbsp garam masala salt and pepper to taste In a large pot, sautee the onions and garlic until translucent. In a separate bowl, stir the vegetable stock into the boiling water and then add to the pot. Mix in the garam masala. Now add the lentils and boil softly until cooked thoroughly - the lentlis should be nice and soft. (At this point you can partially puree the lentils if that grabs you. I prefer to leave them whole.) Optional: add finely chopped carrots and celery just after sauteeing.
- paulbaumgart 17y agoI tried your recipe today, it's not quite as good as the dal the Bangladeshi mother of a friend of mine makes, but it was quite scrumptious and amazingly inexpensive. I substituted cardamom for cloves and Tapatio sauce for cayenne pepper, and it still turned out well. Thanks for posting this!
- ramidarigaz 17y agoAwesome! I'm glad it worked out. To be honest, I've never tried any other variety, I've been so content with this one. I may have to change that.