We’re back again at Anju’s Cooking School in New Delhi!
Anju is our teacher chef extraordinaire, while Pranav, Ravi and Ravi’s father are the taste testers and inspectors. So far, we have passed the test!
Today on the menu is Dahl and Bharta – these are two fast and easy recipes that are very flavourful.
Yellow Dahl
Dahl is a staple meal for most Indian families and is usually eaten with chapati or roti. There are different varieties of lentils that can be used. Select ones according to your own tastes.
For this recipe we used yellow and white lentils.
Ingredients
Yellow and white lentils
3 parts water to 1 part lentils
Spices – Cumin, Turmeric, Chilli Powder, Garam Masala and salt
1. Wash and rinse the lentils.
2. Add lentils and water to a pressure cooker.
3. Add turmeric, cumin and whole chilli peppers to lentil mixture according to desired spiciness. Cook until ready.
4. Temper more spices (cumin, coriander and mustard seeds) in oil or ghee to enhance the flavours.
5. Add the chilli powder and garam masala directly to the dahl as they will burn too quickly if tempered.
6. Add the tempered spices and mix everything together. Let it simmer on low to thicken.
7. Serve hot.
Remember to scoop up the dahl with fresh and hot chapatis!
I was really pleased with how easy this dish was to make and how tasty it was to eat. Ravi’s father commented that I did a great job on it. In fact, he even had a second helping which is a great compliment!
Bharta
Ingredients
Eggplants
Onions
Tomato puree
Oil or ghee
Spices – garam masala, chilli peppers, salt, black pepper
1. Roast the eggplants until the skin is blackened. Peel off the skins.
2. Lightly sauté the onions in oil.
3. Add pureed tomatoes and reduce.
4. Chop up the eggplant and mix together with the tomato and onion mixture.
5. Add garam masala and other spices according to taste. Mix everything together.
Scoop up this yummy dish with fresh chapatis!
Be ready for tomorrow’s post on Oliver’s delicious butter chicken!
Comments
8 responses to “Anju’s Cooking School – Day 2”
Yummo!! In Nepal we lived on Dahl Baht twice a day and while not as spicy. could be hotter with added pickle and curried veggies 🙂 Could survive as vegetarians ……..for a while anyway !
Hi Tiff,
We totally agree – we are enjoying the dahl and love experiencing the veg and non veg food. Oliver is totally ramping up his spice to Indian levels – we are amazed that he’s not breathing fire on us!
Cheers,
Kat:)
Hi, dearest Family, today is Family day here in Ontario and it was fitting to see the smiling faces of you all and your host family first thing this morning. Opa and I read all your postings and have our big Atlas on the table to follow your travels across India. We also enjoyed both cooking posts, especially since the dishes have simple ingredients and look delicious and colourful. I’d just love to try out different breads (first cooking class) Anju and her family sound like wonderful people and it would be so nice to meet the family that made our family feel so welcome. To you all warm greetings and lots of XOXO’s
Happy Family Day to you too Oma!
We hope you enjoyed a great holiday with Opa! Our host family are a great group of people who we have been blessed to meet. We are having such a great time and it’s because of all the wonderful people we have met.
Take care,
Kat:)
I was so inspired by the first post in the various breads. I am inspired again. Anju, love the curries!
Hi Iniyal,
Okay – when we return – let’s set up a cooking night and we’ll share recipes and yummy dishes! I’m sure Anju will give us even more recipes to try!!
Cheers,
Kat:)
Hi Kat,
All I can say is WOW!!! I love the step by step procedures!!! Just the sound of the ingredients makes me want to be the first at the table! Thanks for sharing and I love the photo of all of you! Special thanks to Anju and Ravi for making our family feel so welcome! Love, Baba
Hi Baba,
The recipes are easy and very flavourful – you’ll just have to adjust the spice levels!
ANd yes – a very special thanks to our wonderful hosts who have made our stay so fantastic!
Cheers,
Kat:)