April 1, 2016
Dal Saag
Kumi Rao, Ruchikala
This is a great way to use lots of greens. Dal is just split lentils and Saag translates to miscellaneous greens. This Indian dal is great on its own as a soup, or can be served with rice or any cooked grains.
1 cup dal (Moong dal preferred, but really any dal would do, cooked)
1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola, sunflower or coconut)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon asafoetida
2 strands of curry leaves (if available)
¾ teaspoon turmeric
1 inch piece of ginger (minced)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1-3 Thai chiles (minced) to taste
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bunches of misc. greens (turnip , rapini, kale, collards)
1 lemon (juiced and zested)
1/3 of bunch of cilantro, stems and leaves (cut into ribbons of coarsely chopped)
Make sure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go. Bring a 4-quart saucepan to medium high heat. Add oil and cumin seeds, watch the seeds closely and let them turn a slightly warmer shade of brown being careful not to not let them burn. Add curry leaves, asafoetida, and turmeric. Add chiles, ginger sauté for a couple minutes, then add ground spices, sauté for another minute, stirring continuously. Then add chopped greens. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes with a teaspoon of salt. Add about 1 cup water and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered. Add cooked dal. Stir. Add another teaspoon of salt (or adjust seasoning to taste). Stir in lemon juice and zest. Serve as a soup or as an accompaniment with rice.