Hello people of the Hive realm.
I recently realized that split peas have been in my life since childhood, but in late adult years, I associated these only with Indian cooking.
In my childhood I used to have split pea soup from a can. In fact I think it's considered a Canadian soup. I don't really know for sure. Spit pea soup with ham. It was one of my least favourite canned soup. I never grew up with homemade soup.
My father couldn't cook well and raised me on his own. Going shopping for my latch key kid lunches, was pretty exciting. If he went without me, he would bring home spit pea soup. I never complained. It was not bad, but it was more bland than the others.
Much much later in life, I discovered chana dal, when my partner Marc, worked with an Indian man. This man would bring them a large pot of dal and share it. Marc loved it and asked if he could bring some for me. I loved it. I had never had this kind of curry before. The spices were more then that of the western version, where you just add curry powder found in the spice section of a grocery store. Not that I am at all opposed to that.
After tasting the dal I asked for the recipe. The man told Marc that he used garlic onion and ginger along with cumin, coriander and turmeric. I think he was keeping some ingredients a secret so we couldn't make it as good as his.
Since that time I have learned more about Eastern spices and now use more when making curries. There is so much more to learn of Eastern ingredients. when and how to use them. I am going with a bunch of spices that I have in my drawer.
I soak the spit peas for over half an hour which is perfect timing while I prepare the other items.
I'm sure that this is made differently by different families and different regions. I am just a stupid Canadian so cut me some slack.
The coriander that we get here, is not as fragrant as if it were grown in the tropics. A former Mexican co worker agrees that it is not what she had in Mexico. Anyway it's still good if you like coriander.
Some people around here hate it. When I am at work, so many customers ask to not have coriander in one of our dishes. I just stopped including it in my mise en place items. My boss doesn't know that I just omit this ingredient.
I usually only cook with the stems and use the fresh coriander for a garnish or to add at the end of cooking. I do make exceptions for certain dishes.
The ginger that I get, is not always the same. This time it was small. In my experience, if I don't peel it, it can be bitter or too sharp and overpowering.
I sometimes grate the ginger for speed but the peas were soaking, so I had time to spare.
Wow I almost forgot about some heat. I didn't buy any small green chilies that I wanted for this. Instead I would have to rummage through my crisper to see what I had. I pulled out a jalapeno and long red chili. This would have to do.
In the past I have made this curry mostly without tomatoes. Since then I realize that curries with tomato, is just tastier in my opinion.
I often use canned tomatoes but there were fresh ones that were in the fridge so I decided to use them instead. I normally blend them to be smooth. This time I decided to dice them. It depends on how I feel at the time.
Chana dal
Spit peas 1 cup
Tomatoes 500g
Onion 150g
Garlic 40g
Ginger 15g
Chilies 2 or more to taste
Curry leaves 1 loose cup
Coriander stems 1/2 cup chopped
Vegetable broth 2 cups
Fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) 1 tablespoon
Oil for frying
Whole spices
Cumin 1 tablespoon
Coriander 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Cardamom 2 pods
Cinnamon stick 1
Dry chili 3 or 4 or to taste
Ground spices
Turmeric 1 teaspoon
Chili powder 1 teaspoon
Garam masala 1 teaspoon
Mango powder (amchur) 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
The amounts I use are random. I think that spices should be added to suit personal taste. I have written down approximate amounts.
I sometimes toast the whole spices but this time I just added them to the oil. When they started to pop, I added the curry leaves. I have found one store near by that carries them. Most people here don't know what they are. I really love what they add to a curry.
I add the onions, shallot, ginger and peppers to cook until tender and translucent then add the garlic.
When I added the ground spices I realized that the cinnamon stick that I had taken out of the package, had completely disappeared. It was no where be found so I had to get another and throw it in.
After adding the tomatoes I let it cook for a while until the juices from the tomatoes were fairly evaporated.
I added vegetable broth but in the past I've used water. The broth was seasoned including salt. I seasoned again at the end to suit my taste.
I almost never add coconut milk to this but this time I did. I happened to find organic coconut milk in a local store. It was on sale for 1 dollar. I couldn't resist buying 10 cans. I wish I had purchased more. Other people were doing the same. It was a one time thing.
The coconut milk turned out to be a good addition. I really loved the result.
I know this would be good with some roti but I chose basmati rice on it's own.
I chose random garnishes of green onion, cilantro leaves and tomatoes. I also had some vegan yogurt that I added. It probably wasn't necessary. It was super tasty on it's own.
The only thing I regret, is that I didn't make a larger amount.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great day.
Photos taken with a Nikon D7500 by me including the ones of me. Marc often takes the ones of me but this time I used a timer and a tripod. It's extra work but a fun when Marc is at work.
