Food, Empty Pantries and The-End-of-The-Semester (Or, Making Dal without a pressure cooker)

I woke up this morning craving the Poor Baker's End of Semester Scones.
And, I had every intention of making them.

But, as with all of those weekend mornings when I wake up at 10.00 am and loiter in bed until 11.30 a.m., the immediacy of hunger beat my good intentions and stole their lunch money. I settled instead for ginger chai, bourbon biscuits and a warm bowl of cereal.

I find that the closer I get to the end of the semester, the more I want to cook* and the more elaborately I want to cook. For today's lunch, I'm craving some good ole' Telugu fare.
I'd like to make rice and sweet pappu pulusu. And for the side, I'd like me some brinjal curry**.
A quick survey of my pantry and fridge tells me that I have just enough to make all of these my two-week-old  purchase of brinjals has, uh, gone bad. Bummer.

On the plus side, I've discovered remnants of mango pickle and kandi podi. Ooh Yum!

And while I make these nommies for my lunch, I'm going to try grading on the side. Because this is the only way to grade without losing your mind.

Watch this space, my recipes will (magically) appear after the jump.

*Normally, as you've heard, I rather detest cooking an elaborate mean unless I'm having company. I find it quite boring to cook for myself. (There, wrangle yourself an invite.)
**Think stir-fry, not thai curry.



Making dal without the quintessential pressure-cooker

First, with the Pappu Pulusu (A wholesome, vegetable filled lentil stew).
Today, I'm making a variation of my mum's recipe. For one, I do not have a pressure cooker. I cook my dal in the microwave instead.
For the Lentil Stew: 
You'll need 2 cups of Moong Dal.
A large onion.
Whatever Veggies you have on hand (I'm going with carrots, because that's the only vegetable I have right now.).
A couple of green chillies
Tamarind (or tamarind extract)
Sugar or Jaggery (I like my pulsu sweet, sweet, sweet) (I use about 4 heaped tsps of sugar - adjust this to taste)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
2 cups of water to cook the dal
2-3 cups for the stew
Salt, to taste (I use about 1 and a half tsp, unheaped)


For tempering: 1 tsp diced garlic, 1/2 a tsp of fenugreek seeds (if you have them on hand), 1 tsp mustard seeds, a couple of strands of curry leaves and a teaspoon or two of oil.

Wash the dal until the water runs clear.
Then, for 2 cups of dal, add 4 - 5 cups of water and microwave on high for 15 minutes.
At the end of 15 minutes, stir the dal, mashing it up just a bit as you go along. Add a little more water (if the water from Round 1 has evaporated). And microwave the dal again for 10 minutes.

While that's underway, cube the onions. Dice the carrots. And slit the green chillies lengthwise.

In a deep bottom saucepan, heat up the oil (I use Olive Oil and I use very little oil).
As the oil heats up, add the garlic. mustard seeds.
Now, on with the fenugreek seeds and the green chillies.
Finally, add the curry leaves.
(This should already be a yummy aromatic mixture.)
As this tempering starts to sputter a bit, add the onions.
Add turmeric and stir the mix.
Next, add in the carrots (and whatever else veggies you'd like).
Add about 2 cups of water.
Add a tsp of salt.
Add the tamarind or tamarind extract.

Lid the pot and let the veggies simmer.

Use this time to take the dal out of the microwave and mash it up with a spoon. (Don't drain out any residual water from the dal, we're going to use it.)

Go off and grade 3 well-written proposals (How do you know they'll be well written? Aww shucks! Of course you don't. I'm taking my chances.)

Check on the stew, once the carrots have gone soft enough to cut through with a firm spoon, add the mashed up dal.
Check the salt levels and add the rest of the salt.
Add the sugar.
Lid and simmer.

Give it about 10 minutes. And, tada!