As we sat down to a kid-free dinner last night, the conversation went something like this:
“Hey, this is good. Really good.” (My husband, between bites.)
“But it’s ugly.” (Me, tilting my head and looking at it from different angles.)
“So? It tastes great.”
“But it won’t look good. On the blog, I mean.”
“So you’re only cooking for the blog now?”
“Well, no, but I couldn’t help but think . . . . Does it bother you that I think about what would be good on the blog?”
“Not at all. I’m the one who gets to eat all this great food!”
And it was great, though definitely not pretty. I had intended to call it Toor Dal with Kale, but after it was prepared I saw that the amount of kale greatly overwhelmed the dal. But if you’re looking to get more leafy greens into your diet, this is the recipe for you.
Kale and Toor Dal
1 cup toor dal (may substitute red lentils)
4 cups water
1 bunch kale, washed, center rib removed, and sliced or chopped
1 tsp. canola oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2-1 tsp. red chili pepper or cayenne
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. fenugreek
1/4 tsp. asafetida
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste
Cook the dal in the water until it is soft, about 30-40 minutes. Use a blender or hand blender to completely puree the dal in its water. Set aside.
In a deep skillet or wok, heat the oil over a medium-hot burner. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and the garlic, and cook for one minute. Add the kale and stir. Add one tablespoon water and cover the pan. Stir every minute or so, and cook until the kale is wilted, about 4 minutes.
Add the dal and remaining ingredients to the kale. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Serve over rice.
Miscellaneous acknowledgments and an apology:
I took ideas from several sources to come up with this recipe. The cooking technique and some of the spices come from Swiss Chard Dal on the blog Sugar and Spice. I also got spicing hints from Neelam Batra’s The Indian Vegetarian: since I didn’t have the sambar powder that Sugar and Spice mentioned, I looked at a sambar masala recipe to see exactly what was in it. Finally, I took a look around to see if anyone had blogged specifically about kale and dal and found a recipe for a soup, Toor Dal with Squash and Kale, which, though I didn’t use the recipe, introduced me to an interesting blog I hadn’t seen before.
And I must apologize to all of you. Despite the best efforts of my college creative writing teacher, Tim Gautreaux, I’ve never be able to write dialogue. Sorry to inflict it on you. Be thankful I didn’t attempt a dialect.
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
I made this using mung dal and it was delicious although much uglier than your picture despite a last ditch effort to beautify it be mixing in some fresh cilantro. I also grated in some fresh ginger during the cooking which was good. Guess I'm just incapable of strictly following a recipe, no offense
I discovered it is an excellent breakfast dish. I really struggle to find something filling to eat in the morning. I can eat 5 pieces of fruit and drink huge green smoothies but I'm still ravenous by 10am. This really kept me going until lunch time. Thanks as always for the inspirational recipes.
Doesn't look that ugly! I have a similar recipe, but I always soak the chana dal for many hours before cooking. I find it cooks more evenly. Before I go to work, I put 1-2 cups of chana dal in a pot and cover it with lots of water. (3-6 cups). Put a cover on top and let it sit on the cold stove all day. I rinse when I get back and they are ready to cook/use. http://fishes.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/chana-dal-with-mustard-greens/
I think this sounds great and I'm going to try it. Did you use ground Fenugreek or the seeds intact in this recipe?
Susan, I used ground fenugreek. I hope you'll give it a try!
Thanks! I tried this recipe and really loved it.
Ugly? I think it looks beautiful. What is fenugeek and where would you find it?
Sandi, I have found ground fenugreek in spice stores and Indian groceries. It's flavor is hard to describe, but it's a little bit maple syrupy.
This is another one of your recipes that I keep on going back to time and time again. So very tasty. I often serve it as a side dish for omnivores and they love it also.
Hi Susan — My partner and I joined a CSA for the first time this year, and as you can imagine, we’re learning to cook with greens like never before! We’re hoping to make this recipe tonight, but don’t think I’ll be able to get fenugreek or asafetida in time… any chance we could use garam masala as a substitute? Or yellow curry powder? Or some mixture of others? I have a pretty good spice selection at home, so any advice would be appreciated : )
–Sarah
Sarah, for the asafetida, I would just use a little more garlic or 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder. There’s no really good substitute for the fenugreek (it has a maple syrupy taste, but that would be too sweet), so just leave it out and you will never miss it. I hope you enjoy the dish!
Thanks for the help, Susan! Definitely enjoyed the recipe… and would consider adding other veggies next time. We’re making your spring rolls and lo mein tonight, so wish us luck!
–Sarah
Being a South Indian, I am glad to see Indian recipes here. I just happened to see your blog for the first time. All the ingredients for this recipe can be bought in an International Store or an Indian Store in your city(if u have one).
Toor dal is a staple for us. We usually cook it with greens/tomatoes. We mix it with other Indian vegetables too. I usually pressure cook the dal for upto 4 whistles. Once the pressure is off, the dal will be of a nice consistency.
I just found your site and am ready to try some of your recipes. But don’t have all the ingredients. I want to try kale and toor dal. What is fenugreek and asafetida and what can I sub for them? Thank you, Carolyn
Hi Carolyn. Do you have an Indian grocery store nearby? You can find both fenugreek and asafetida there, as well as toor dal. They are both seasonings that are commonly used in Indian cooking. Fenugreek tastes a lot like maple syrup and asafetida is garlicy, so if you can’t find them, you could try substituting or just leave them out.
I used split moong dal, but keeping majority kale, and it turned out really nice. I kept the dish a little dry, so the moong beans remained whole with a bite to them…not pureeing the dal, made the dish really looking amazing (and not ugly!)
Hi Susan,
I tried this recipe using 4 cups of water to 1 cup of red lentils, and the dal came out very runny. I’m unfamiliar with Indian food, so don’t know if that is the way it is supposed to be, but it looks thicker in your photo. Should I have increased the amount of lentils?
Thank you so much for all the work you do here. Your recipes help keep me on track.