Simple dal and cabbage curry

We ate these together for lunch today, but they can also be eaten separately with different dishes. The cabbage curry (a dry dish) should be paired with a wet one like simple dal, and vice versa.

I cooked both of these this morning, starting at seven, with Max and Shreekumar. Usually all the cooking for lunch is done in the morning so that we can use the breakfast fire, and then the dishes sit until lunchtime.

Simple dal:

Ingredients:

2 cups toor dal or chana dal
2 green chilis, slit in half lengthwise
1 2-inch-by-2-inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped very finely
3 tbsp coarse salt, or to taste
About 2 tbsp oil
3 tsp mustard seeds
2 dried red chilis, broken into pieces
30 curry leaves
1 heaping tsp turmeric powder
2 medium tomatoes, chopped

First, boil the dal in 4 cups of water with the green chilis and ginger until it's soft and there's no water left. Add salt and stir.

In a small frying pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the red chilis, curry leaves, turmeric, and tomatoes. After the tomatoes have cooked down a little, add this mixture and 2 cups of water to the dal. Add more water if necessary -- it should be relatively thin, like soup rather than stew. Bring to a boil and cook until amount of water has reduced to your liking.


Cabbage curry:

This is a rather dry dish, so I doubt that the word "curry" is accurate -- usually "curry" refers to a sauce. It's really flavorful and yummy and is one of our favorites. Ranjana makes it slightly differently from Shreekumar -- if we get a chance to observe her, we will note the variations.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp oil
3 tsp mustard seeds
20 curry leaves
2 tsp chana dal
2 tsp urad dal
1 2-inch-by-2-inch piece of ginger, chopped very finely
3 dried red chilis, broken into pieces
1 heaping tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 small potatoes, cut into small chunks
One large white cabbage, cut into very thin shreds
2 tbsp coarse salt, or to taste
2 1/2 cups grated coconut

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the mustard seeds, and when they begin to pop, add the curry leaves, chana dal, urad dal, ginger, and red chilis. Cook until everything is browned. Add the turmeric powder, cumin seeds, potatoes, and about 2/3 cup water. Cook about 5 minutes, or until potatoes are slightly soft. Add the cabbage and cook about 5 more minutes. Add salt, coconut, and 1 cup of water. Cover and cook 5-10 more minutes, or until potatoes and cabbage are really soft and most of the water is gone.


These two dishes can be served together with rice and pickle if you've got it. They make a pleasant lunch.