Kale and Toor Dal
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.
Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free
Labels: gluten-free
posted by SusanV at 8:26 AM
32 Comments:
I think it looks awesome! My family often stops before they dish up and ask if I've already gotten my picture :-) Odd little question in most households!
I'm in the same boat! Always thinking about what will blog well... But it has caused me to attempt different dishes that I probably wouldn't have before! Anyway, I think this looks pretty fantastic.
What are you talking about? I think it looks beautiful! I'm definitely going to try this because of all the kale my sister brings home. :)
I totally agree with you - somethings just aren't photographic, although having said that your picture looks great! And as for that little question Nancy - I know exactly what you mean!
I think it looks really good, but I bet it tastes even better. I will definitely give it a try.
Thanks, everyone! I guess it does look better than I thought it would. But then again, I chose the best photo--the ones where it was smack in the middle were not as appetizing. :-)
My family has gotten used to waiting to eat until after the photo session. They know I won't sit down to the table until the photo has been taken!
Looks good to me!
I think it looks yummy too!
Will add to the list of must trys very soon.
I think it looks beautiful! It also sounds very nutritious.
I think that it looks delicious- and I definitely plan on trying it. Plus, I've never had Kale before, so I'm excited to try that for the first time!
-Teresa
I'm in full agreement with everyone else on this one, Susan - it has beautiful color and looks lovely - as always! When I was reading your post, I was expecting something pale, brown, or pasty looking... and then when I saw the pic I thought... "huh??, this looks great" Oh, well, we are our own worst critics most times, right? :)
I have some frozen kale to use. How would you modify the recipe to use it? How much should I use? Would you recommend frozen kale? Also, since your husband liked it, I'm trying it. Tell him I said so. :)
Anonymous, I've never used frozen kale, so I can't offer much help. I do know that with frozen spinach, I use a smaller amount of the frozen than with fresh--for example, for a pound of fresh spinach, I substitute 10 ounces of frozen. Since the frozen is already cooked (they blanche it before freezing), you shouldn't have to cook it as long.
Also, I'll let my husband know that he was the deciding factor in your decision to make the dish. He'll be happy to hear that his opinion matters so much! :-)
I came to your site for the first time yesterday, saw this, and cooked it tonight. It was simply delicious. Thank you.
This was very good, thanks! I used chana dal (I soaked it for a few hours first) and did not puree it (my blender did not work). It was delicious!
This looks delicious and nutritious and I've grabbed it for later consumption.
One note on asafetida and cooking gluten-free: while asafetida is in itself GF, it's very hard to find the resin in most stores. The powder is usually mixed with wheat flour or wheat starch, which may not show up on the label if it's imported. Celiacs, wheat allergics, or other people strictly avoiding all gluten will need to avoid the powder. Those who don't mind tiny amounts of gluten will be fine.
If you were making this gf, and therefore avoiding the asafetida, would you substitute it with something else?
I recently made this recipe, and it is spectacular! Great idea.
I have this question too: If you were making this gf, and therefore avoiding the asafetida, would you substitute it with something else?
I would probably just leave it out. Otherwise, 1/8 tsp of garlic powder and 1/8 tsp of onion powder would make a nice substitute.
This dish is pretty good, especially with a dollop of mango chutney, but I think I still prefer the yellow split pea-sweet potato-kale soup since I like my beans thicker and this dal resulted in a thin bean broth. Do you have other recipes or suggestions for using the rest of my huge bags of toor dal (or red lentils)? Thanks, Susan!
Hi Susan,
I tried this dish over the weekend with a couple of necessary substitutions, I had to use greens and red lentils but it was fantastic. The spice mixture really tasted fantastic...many thanks for a great recipe and site!!
I foraged some ornamental kale from a University flowerbed about to be replanted today, and i think i'm going to make this tonight! Thanks for the recipe!
I was looking for fat-free Kale recipes and saw this one.
Looks like I can't use it as it has added oil. I'm a little confused by that - fat free does not equal added oil.
Thanks!
Marty, a small bit of oil is necessary to pop the cumin and mustard seeds. To make it without the oil, use powdered cumin instead of seeds and skip the mustard seeds.
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.
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