If you, like me, were ever reluctant to dabble in Indian cuisine simply because you found the variety of spices overwhelming and cumbersome to deal with...fear no more! All you have to do is rush to your neighborhood Indian store and grab a spice organizer similar to the one I got (pictured above). Our friend UA introduced me to this wonderful invention when the hubby and I were visiting her and PA in El Dorado Hills. I can assure you it singlehandedly revived my love affair with Indian cuisine!
You can find a couple of the wonderful dishes that ensued below:
The mansoor dal (red split lentil dal) is arguably the best one I have ever made - velvety, subtle yet bursting with flavor! You can find the recipe here but note that I tweaked it a bit by adding more ground cumin and a bit of amchur powder. I know that Lokuma will add some of her ideas on this one as well...
Yum - topped with a bit of cilantro...you can barely tell that there is cabbage in this soup!
Crunchy Peanut Cabbage Slaw (inspired by Smitten Kitchen)
This cabbage salad was the perfect accompaniment to the comforting dal. The small amount of ground cumin used in the dressing goes well with the rest of the meal. I strongly recommend that you use Kirkland's Super Extra-Large Virginia Peanuts from Costco - the best variety I have ever tasted (hubby agrees)! What is also especially great about the slaw that the dressing has only 2 -3 drops of peanut oil in it, which makes it perfect for those of us who aspire to follow the Dr. Fuhrman way of eating ( on a good day :).
You can find the recipe here. Note that I replaced the lime juice with lemon juice and the red cabbage with plain green cabbage.
just made this dish using MM's indian spices box :D
ReplyDeleteyummy!