main_meals.md (24276B)
1 title:Main Meals 2 3 ## Main Meals 4 5 ### General Materials 6 7 #### Rice 8 - Ingredients 9 + ~1/2 cup rice per person 10 + Twice as much water as rice 11 - Instructions 12 + Put rice and water into pot, but DO NOT STIR! 13 + Boil without stirring 14 + Cover with lid (need good lid; pointless without proper lid) 15 + If using gas stove, put on very small flame 16 + If using cast-iron electric stove, turn off but leave pot on hot plate (may need to take off temporarily to prevent from boiling over) 17 + Leave like this for 20-30 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed by the rice 18 + IMPORTANT: lid needs to cover well; never stir, or it will burn 19 + Note: did I forget to mention that you shouldn't stir it? 20 21 #### Chapati (Makes ~2) 22 - Ingredients 23 + 100 g whole wheat flour 24 + 60 mL water 25 + Pinch salt (optional) 26 - Instructions 27 + Mix flour, salt and water and knead for a few minutes. 28 + Leave with a cloth on top for 20-30 min. 29 + Separate into balls. 30 + Flatten balls with a rolling pin (a lot of extra flour is needed to keep it from sticking). 31 + Put uncooked chapatis into frying pan one by one; keep pushing down bubbles with a cloth and turning them around. 32 + Note: The amount of water varies depending on the flour used, so add a little bit at a time 33 34 #### Paneer 35 - Ingredients 36 + 1 L milk 37 + Lemon juice or vinegar 38 - Instructions 39 + Boil milk 40 + Add acid and let milk curdle 41 + Strain through thin cloth and wash to remove sour taste 42 + Squeeze well to remove water 43 + Press underneath heavy object for several hours 44 + Note: Use full cream milk, preferably raw 45 46 ### Pakistani/Indian 47 48 #### General Notes 49 - Cover curries with a lid for a while so they cook properly, but then remove it so there isn't too much water 50 - The traditional way to prepare garlic and ginger is to grind it into a paste with a mortar and pestle, but 51 if you don't have one, you can probably get away with just cutting them into very small pieces 52 - You really should get a mortar and pestle though if you want to get anything proper done... 53 54 #### Chicken Karahi (Serves ~3-4) 55 - Ingredients 56 + 1 onion, chopped 57 + 1 1/2 Tbsp oil 58 + 1 inch ginger, minced with mortar and pestle 59 + 2 garlic cloves, minced together with ginger in mortar and pestle 60 + 500 g chicken cut into bitesize pieces - preferably legs because the bones can give a better taste 61 + 3 cups chopped tomatoes 62 + 1 tsp cumin powder 63 + ~4 green chilies, chopped - may need more or less depending on the spicyness of the chilies 64 + 1 tsp salt 65 + 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 66 + 1 tsp garam masala 67 + 1 tsp coriander powder 68 - Instructions 69 + Heat oil in a large pan - optimally an actual karahi, but other pans will do. 70 + Fry onion pieces until golden. 71 + Add ginger and garlic mix, keep frying until they also are golden. 72 + Add cumin, salt, turmeric and garam masala. 73 + Add chicken and fry until it starts turning brown. 74 + Add chopped tomatoes and green chilies. 75 + Simmer on low heat for ~30 min. 76 + Optionally garnish with cilantro, but shame be upon you if you actually like that. 77 78 #### Chicken Curry (Serves ~3-4) 79 - Ingredients 80 + 500 g chicken cut into bitesize pieces - bones are better like with chicken karahi 81 + ~3 cups chopped tomatoes 82 + 1/2 inch ginger, minced 83 + 1/2 tsp turmeric 84 + 1 onion, chopped 85 + 3 cloves garlic, minced 86 + 1/2 tsp salt 87 + 1 1/2 Tbsp oil 88 + 1/2 tsp garam masala 89 + 2 green chilies, chopped 90 + 1/2 tsp coriander powder 91 - Instructions 92 + Fry onion until golden. 93 + Add ginger and garlic paste; keep frying until they are brown as well. 94 + Add coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt. 95 + Add chicken pieces and fry until they start turning brown. 96 + Add chopped tomatoes and green chilies. 97 + Simmer on low heat for ~30 min. 98 + Optionally garnish with cilantro, but shame be upon you if you actually like that. 99 + Note: Yes, I know this is almost the same as chicken karahi. 100 101 #### Chicken Handi (Serves ~3-4) 102 - Ingredients 103 + 500 g chicken cut into bitesize pieces - bones are better like with chicken karahi 104 + ~1 cup chopped tomatoes 105 + 2 medium or one large onion, chopped 106 + 2 cloves garlic, minced 107 + 1 inch ginger, minced 108 + 1/2 cup yoghurt 109 + 1/2 cup cream 110 + 2 tsp coriander powder 111 + 1 tsp turmeric powder 112 + 1 tsp salt 113 + 1 1/2 Tbsp oil 114 + 2 tsp garam masala 115 + 2-4 green chilies, chopped (adjust amount depending on size and desired spicyness) 116 - Instructions 117 + Fry onions in oil until golden 118 + Add ginger and garlic paste; keep frying until they are brown as well (may only need a few seconds) 119 + Add coriander, turmeric, salt, and garam masala (may need to add a bit of water to keep from burning) 120 + Add chicken pieces and fry for ~15-30 seconds while constantly stirring 121 + Add yoghurt, chopped tomatoes, and green chilies 122 + Simmer on low heat for ~30 min - don't cover with a lid or there will be too much sauce 123 + Add cream and cook for a few more minutes 124 + Optionally garnish with cilantro, but shame be upon you if you actually like that 125 126 #### Chicken Jalfrezi (Serves ~3-4) 127 - Ingredients 128 + Marinade 129 * 500g boneless chicken, cut into bitesize pieces 130 * 1 Tbsp yoghurt 131 * 1 garlic clove (~1/2 tsp) 132 * ~1/4 inch ginger (~1/2-1 tsp) 133 * 1/4 tsp turmeric 134 * 1/4 tsp salt 135 + Other 136 * 1 onion, chopped 137 * 2 cups tomatoes (~4-5 pieces), chopped 138 * 1 green bell pepper, chopped 139 * 2 green chilies, chopped 140 * 2 garlic cloves (~1-2 tsp), ground into paste 141 * ~1/2 inch ginger (~1-2 tsp), ground into paste 142 * 1 Tbsp lemon juice 143 * 1 1/2 Tbsp oil 144 * 1 tsp salt 145 * 1/2 tsp turmeric 146 * 1 tsp cumin powder 147 * 1 tsp coriander powder 148 * 1/2 tsp garam masala 149 - Instructions 150 + Marinate chicken in marinade for a few hours 151 + Fry onions in oil until they start turning yellow 152 + Add garlic and ginger paste, keep frying briefly 153 + Add marinated chicken and fry until most of the red has disappeared 154 + Add salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garam masala, and stir well 155 + Add tomatoes, bell pepper, and chilies and stir well 156 + Cover with lid on low heat for ~20 minutes, stirring occasionally 157 + Uncover and simmer for ~25 minutes so it doesn't become too watery 158 + Add lemon juice and stir well before serving 159 160 #### Keema Muttar (Serves ~4-6) 161 - Ingredients 162 + 500g minced lamb (or beef) 163 + 400-500g peas 164 + 1 large onion, chopped 165 + 4 cloves garlic, ground into paste 166 + 1 inch ginger, ground into paste (~3-4 tsp) 167 + 2-4 green chilies, chopped 168 + 1 tsp turmeric 169 + 2 tsp cumin powder 170 + 2 tsp garam masala 171 + 2 tsp salt 172 + 4-6 tomatoes (~2 cups), chopped 173 + 1 1/2 Tbsp oil 174 + 1 cup water (if serving with rice) 175 - Instructions 176 + Fry onions in oil until they start turning brown 177 + Add garlic and ginger paste, continue frying briefly 178 + Add turmeric, cumin, garam masala, and salt and mix well 179 + Add minced meat and fry well, making sure to break apart any big pieces 180 + Add tomatoes, chilies, and peas 181 + If serving with rice, add 1 cup of water (rice requires more sauce than chapatis) 182 + Cover with lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes 183 184 #### Keema Karela (Serves ~4) 185 - Ingredients 186 + 1 onion, chopped 187 + 2 garlic cloves, ground into paste 188 + 1 inch ginger, ground into paste 189 + 250 g minced beef 190 + 2 cups chopped tomatoes (~4 tomatoes) 191 + 2 green chilies, chopped 192 + 1 kg Karela 193 + 1 tsp cumin 194 + 1/2 tsp turmeric 195 + 1 tsp garam masala 196 + 1 tsp coriander powder 197 + 1 tsp salt 198 + 2-3 Tbsp oil 199 - Instructions 200 + Remove seeds from karela and cut into small pieces 201 + Fry karela pieces with 1-2 Tbsp oil until brown, set aside 202 + Fry onions with 1 Tbsp oil until brown 203 + Add ginger and garlic paste 204 + Add cumin, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and salt 205 + Add minced beef and fry well 206 + Add fried karela pieces, tomatoes, and green chilies 207 + Simmer with lid on pot for ~15 minutes 208 + Remove lid and keep cooking until mixture is fairly dry 209 210 #### Kofta Curry 211 - Ingredients 212 + Meatballs 213 * 1 tsp ginger paste 214 * 1 pod black cardamom (the seeds ground in a mortar & pestle) 215 * 1 tsp coriander 216 * 2 cloves, ground 217 * 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 218 * 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 219 * 1/2 tsp red chili powder 220 * 1/2 tsp salt 221 * 1 egg 222 * 1 tsp ground cumin 223 * 500 g ground beef 224 * Several boiled eggs (optional) 225 * 1 Tbsp oil 226 + Sauce 227 * 1 onion, cut into rings or chopped 228 * 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste 229 * 1 inch ginger, ground into paste 230 * 1 green chili 231 * 2 tsp ground coriander 232 * 6 tomatoes, chopped (~3 cups) 233 * 1 tsp salt (or to taste) 234 * 1/2 cup yoghurt 235 * 1/2 tsp garam masala 236 * 1 black cardamom 237 * 1 Tbsp oil 238 - Instructions 239 + Mix all meatball ingredients except for boiled eggs and oil together 240 + Either form small meatballs or cut eggs in half and form meatballs around them 241 + Fry meatballs in oil, set aside 242 + Fry onions in oil until light brown 243 + Add garlic and ginger paste 244 + Add coriander, salt, and garam masala 245 + Add tomatoes, green chili, and yoghurt, simmer for 15 minutes with lid on pot 246 + Add meatballs to sauce and simmer for 15 more minutes with pot uncovered so water can evaporate 247 248 #### Talihui Murghi/Spicy Fried Chicken (Serves ~4) 249 - Ingredients 250 + 500 g chicken breast, cut into bitesize pieces 251 + Juice from one lemon (several tablespoons) 252 + 1 large onion, chopped 253 + 2 Tbst oil 254 + 1 inch ginger, ground into paste 255 + 2 garlic cloves, ground into paste 256 + 1 tsp ground cumin 257 + 2 tsp ground coriander 258 + 1 tsp garam masala 259 + 1 tsp salt 260 + 1/2 tsp chili powder 261 - Instructions 262 + Marinate chicken pieces in lemon juice for 1 hour 263 + Fry onion in oil until slightly golden 264 + Add ginger and garlic paste and fry briefly 265 + Add chicken pieces (drain leftover lemon juice first) and fry for 10-15 minutes on medium heat 266 + Add all spices and continue frying for 10 minutes 267 + Serve with chapatis 268 269 #### Shami Kebab (Serves ~4) 270 - Ingredients 271 + 500 g minced beef/lamb 272 + 2 tsp coriander 273 + 1 tsp turmeric 274 + 1/2 tsp chili powder 275 + Pinch cinnamon 276 + 1 pod black cardamom, ground (just the seeds inside) 277 + 2 cloves, ground 278 + 1 Tbsp gram flour 279 + 1-2 tsp salt 280 + 1/2 cup yoghurt (optional - adds a lot of liquid, so you may need to cook it longer or add more gram flour) 281 + Oil - for frying, use as much as you need 282 + 1 onion, chopped into very small pieces 283 + 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste 284 + 1/2 inch ginger, ground into paste 285 + Squirt of lemon juice 286 - Instructions 287 + Mix meat, all spices, and yoghurt (if you want yoghurt) 288 + Fry onions until light brown, add ginger and garlic paste, keep frying briefly 289 + Mix meat mixture with fried onione, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until most liquid has evaporated 290 + Let mixture cool, add squirt of lemon juice, and knead well 291 + Form into small balls and fry by pressing balls into thin, round patties in the frying pan 292 + Notes 293 * I heard the patties can be coated with egg and bread crumbs before frying, but mine fell apart way too easily 294 * If there is too much liquid left in the mixture, the patties will fall apart too easily 295 296 #### Mombai Biryani 297 - Ingredients 298 + 2 - 2 1/2 cups rice 299 + 400 g beef or chicken in small pieces ("Geschnetzeltes") 300 + ~250 g potatoes (2-3 pieces), cut into thin slices 301 + 1 large onion, chopped 302 + 3 cloves garlic, ground into paste 303 + 1 inch ginger, ground into paste 304 + 1/2 cup yoghurt 305 + 1 tsp garam masala 306 + 1 tsp salt 307 + 1-2 green chilies, cut into small pieces 308 + 2 Tbsp oil 309 - Instructions 310 + Fry onion until golden in 1 Tbsp of oil 311 + Add garlic and ginger paste, keep frying briefly 312 + Add salt and garam masala, stir, and add meat pieces 313 + Fry meat well and then add yoghurt and chilies 314 + If using beef, add extra water and cook with lid on for ~30 minutes in order to tenderize it 315 + Cook until most water has evaporated (it should just be a sort of paste), set aside 316 + Fry potato slices in remaining Tbsp of oil until slightly brown (use low heat for this so they don't burn) 317 + Make rice, but don't leave it too long because it might get too mushy later 318 + Layer the rice, meat mixture, and potato slices (keep adding layers until you run out) 319 + Leave on extremely low heat for ~5 minutes without stirring 320 + Remove from heat and leave to steam for 15 minutes 321 + Notes 322 * Other vegetables can be added (e.g. peas) 323 * The layering isn't too important, but apparently that's how it's done traditionally 324 * The meat mixture can also be pressure cooked in order to tenderize the meat 325 326 #### Scrambled Egg Curry (Serves 3-4) 327 - Ingredients 328 + 1 large or 2-3 small onions, chopped into small pieces 329 + 2 cups chopped tomatoes (~4 pieces) 330 + 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste 331 + 1 inch ginger, ground into paste 332 + 1-2 green chilies, chopped 333 + 4 eggs 334 + 1 tsp garam masala 335 + 1 tsp salt 336 + 1/2 tsp turmeric 337 + 1/2 tsp cumin 338 + 1/2 tsp coriander powder 339 + 1 Tbsp oil 340 - Instructions 341 + Fry onions in oil until soft 342 + Add garlic and ginger paste and keep frying briefly 343 + Add green chilies, tomatoes, and all spices 344 + Simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes with closed lid 345 + Remove lid and keep simmering until excess water has evaporated 346 + Mix eggs together in bowl and add to pot 347 + Keep cooking/frying until eggs are well done (the mixture should be fairly dry) 348 + Serve with chapatis 349 350 #### Muttar Paneer (Serves 3) 351 - Ingredients 352 + 1 large or 2-3 small onions, chopped 353 + 2 cups chopped tomatoes (~4 pieces) 354 + 2-3 cloves garlic, ground into paste 355 + 1 inch ginger, ground into paste 356 + ~200 g paneer (from 1-2 liters milk), cut into 1-2 cm cubes 357 + 1-2 green chilies, chopped 358 + 250 g peas 359 + 1 cup water 360 + 1 Tbsp oil 361 + 1 tsp cumin 362 + 1 tsp coriander 363 + 1/2 tsp turmeric 364 + 1 tsp salt 365 + 1 tsp garam masala 366 - Instructions 367 + Fry onions in oil until golden 368 + Add garlic and ginger paste, fry briefly 369 + Add all spices, tomatoes, chilies, peas, and water 370 + Simmer with closed lid for 10-15 minutes 371 + Add paneer cubes and keep simmering for 10 minutes 372 + Remove lid and keep simmering for 5-10 minutes 373 + Notes 374 * If serving with chapati, add less water and simmer longer with lid open 375 * The paneer cubes can be fried/deep-fried as well, but I've never tried it 376 377 #### Achar Gosht (Serves 3) 378 379 Image: 380 [Achar Gosht](images/achar_gosht.jpg) 381 382 - Ingredients 383 + 2 medium onions, chopped 384 + 4 cloves garlic, ground into paste 385 + 1 inch ginger, ground into paste 386 + 1 Tbsp oil 387 + 1 cup yoghurt 388 + 1 cup chopped tomatoes (~2 large pieces) 389 + 1-2 green chilies, chopped 390 + 500 g beef, cut into bitesize pieces 391 + 1 tsp nigella seeds 392 + 1 tsp fennel seeds 393 + 1 tsp mustard seeds 394 + 1 tsp salt 395 + 1 tsp cumin 396 + 1/4 tsp black pepper 397 + 2 pods black cardamom 398 + 2 cloves, ground 399 + 1 stick cinnamon (a few inches) 400 - Instructions 401 + Fry onions in oil until golden 402 + Add garlic and ginger paste and keep frying briefly 403 + Add all spices and meat and fry until meat is brown 404 + Add tomatoes, chilies, and yoghurt 405 + Simmer with lid closed until meat is tender (the longer the better) 406 + Simmer with lid open until the mixture isn't too watery anymore 407 408 #### Chicken Tikka Pizza (Serves 2-3) 409 - Ingredients 410 + Pizza Dough 411 * 2 cups plain flour 412 * 2 tsp yeast 413 * 1 tsp sugar 414 * 1/2 tsp salt 415 * 1 Tbsp olive oil 416 * ~3/4 cups warm water 417 + Tomato Sauce 418 * 2 cups chopped tomatoes (~4 large tomatoes) 419 * 3 cloves garlic, ground into paste 420 * 1 medium onion, chopped 421 * 1 tsp paprika powder 422 * 1 tsp oregano 423 * 1 tsp basil 424 * 1 tsp salt 425 * 1/2 tsp sugar 426 * 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 427 + Chicken 428 * 200 g boneless chicken, cut into bitesize pieces 429 * 1/4-1/2 inch ginger, ground into paste 430 * 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste 431 * 1 green chili, ground into paste (together with ginger and garlic) 432 * 2 Tbsp yoghurt 433 * 1 Tbsp lemon juice 434 * 1 Tbsp tandoori masala 435 * 1/2 tsp salt 436 * 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 437 + Other 438 * 100-150 g grated cheese (I used Emmentaler, but do whatever you want) 439 * Butter for greasing pan 440 * Other toppings, e.g. mushrooms (optional) 441 - Instructions 442 + Chicken 443 * Marinate chicken for 1 hour in all ingredients except for oil 444 * Fry in oil for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid from the marinade has evaporated 445 * Note: If you want to do this properly, you should grill the chicken, but this is 446 easier to do in a normal home... 447 + Pizza Dough 448 * Put flour into bowl 449 * Create mould in the middle and add sugar, yeast, and enough warm water to fill the mould 450 * Leave for 10 minutes, until the water starts bubbling 451 * Add salt, olive oil, and the rest of the water and knead well 452 (you may need to adjust the amount of water or add more flour) 453 * Leave to rise for 30-60 minutes 454 + Tomato Sauce 455 * Fry onions in oil until golden 456 * Add garlic paste and fry briefly 457 * Add tomatoes and other ingredients 458 * Simmer for ~30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes fairly thick 459 * Note: You may want to either blanche the tomatoes or blend them so you don't 460 have pieces of skin in the sauce, although I personally don't mind too much 461 + Combined 462 * Grease pan (about 13x9 in. or something like that - my first one was about 12.5x10.5...; 463 I guess a 6 in. round pan would work too) and shape dough to fit into it 464 * Add tomato sauce on top and spread until the dough is completely covered 465 * Add chicken pieces (and optionally other toppings) 466 * Sprinkle grated cheese on top 467 * Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees celsius 468 469 #### Achari Chicken Pizza (Serves 2-3) 470 471 Image: 472 [Achari Chicken Pizza](images/achari_chicken_pizza.jpg) 473 474 - Ingredients 475 + Pizza Dough 476 * Same as chicken tikka pizza 477 + Achari Chicken 478 * 200 g chicken, cut into bitesize pieces 479 * 1/4 inch ginger, ground into paste 480 * 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste 481 * 1 small onion, chopped finely 482 * 1/4 tsp cumin seeds 483 * 1/4 tsp mustard seeds 484 * 1/4 tsp nigella seeds 485 * 1/4 tsp fennel seeds 486 * 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (~1 large tomato) 487 * 1/3 cup yoghurt 488 * 1/2-1 green chili, chopped 489 * 1 Tbsp lemon juice 490 * 1/2 tsp salt 491 * 1/2 tsp sugar 492 * 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 493 + Other 494 * 150-200 g grated cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella and emmentaler) 495 * Butter for greasing pan 496 - Instructions 497 + Pizza Dough 498 * Same as chicken tikka pizza 499 + Achari Chicken 500 * Heat oil and sputter the seeds 501 * Note: Due to a freak accident of nature, I didn't manage to sputter the seeds when 502 I tried it, and I'm not sure it's really that important - you could probably even 503 use ground spices instead of the whole seeds if that's all you have 504 * Add chopped onion and fry until golden 505 * Add ginger and garlic paste and keep frying briefly 506 * Add salt, sugar, and chicken pieces and fry until chicken is brown 507 * Add chopped tomatoes, chili, yoghurt, and lemon juice 508 * Simmer on medium heat with lid closed for 10 minutes 509 * Remove lid and keep simmering until remaining liquid is fairly thick 510 + Combined 511 * Grease pan (12x8 inches will do, but you can also go slightly bigger - you can also 512 take a larger pan and just roll the dough up a bit at the sides instead of getting 513 the perfect size of pan) and shape dough to fit it 514 * Spread chicken over dough 515 * Sprinkle grated cheese on top 516 * Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees celsius 517 518 #### Chicken Tikka (Serves ~1-2) 519 520 Image: 521 [Chicken Tikka](images/chicken_tikka.jpg) 522 523 - Ingredients 524 + 2 chicken leg quarters 525 + 2 Tbsp yoghurt 526 + ~1 inch ginger, ground into paste (1 Tbsp ground) 527 + 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste 528 + 1 Tbsp lemon juice 529 + 1 tsp turmeric 530 + 1 tsp garam masala 531 + 1 tsp chaat masala 532 + 1 tsp cumin powder 533 + 1 tsp coriander powder 534 + 1/2 tsp chili powder 535 + 1 tsp salt 536 - Instructions 537 + Mix all ingredients and marinate chicken for at least 1 hour (ideally overnight) 538 + Grill chicken for ~20-30 minutes or bake at 200 C for 40-50 minutes until crispy 539 * Note: if baking, bake in pan first for 20-30 minutes so it gets cooked through 540 well, then fry until the marinade has dried. 541 + Serve with chapati 542 + Notes 543 * It needs to be grilled for it to be authentic, but the baked version still tastes okay 544 * It really needs to be properly done and crispy for it to be good 545 546 #### Dal (Serves 2-3) 547 548 Image: 549 [Dal](images/dal_mixed.jpg) 550 551 - Ingredients 552 + 1/2 cup red lentils (they turn yellow when cooked) 553 + 1 1/2 cups water 554 + 1 small onion 555 + 2 garlic cloves 556 + 1/2 inch ginger 557 + ~1 tsp salt 558 + 1/4 tsp cumin 559 + 1/2 tsp turmeric 560 + 1/2 tsp coriander 561 + 1 bay leaf 562 + 2 large tomatoes (~1 cup when cut into pieces) 563 + Chili or pepper to taste 564 + Oil for frying 565 + For tadka (optional): 566 * 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 567 * 1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper 568 * 1 garlic clove 569 * 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 570 - Instructions 571 + Boil the lentils like rice, but with three times as much water as 572 lentils (by volume) 573 ([Image](images/dal_lentils.jpg)) 574 + Cut the onion, garlic, and ginger into small pieces 575 + Mash the garlic and ginger up with a mortar and pestle, if available 576 + Fry the onion until light brown, then add the garlic and ginger paste 577 + Fry for a bit longer, then add the tomatoes and all spices except 578 for the tadka ones 579 ([Image](images/dal_vegetables.jpg)) 580 + After everything is cooked well (~20 minutes), mix with the lentils 581 (the lentils should soak up all the water; if not, figure out 582 what you're going to do...) 583 + For the (optional) tadka, heat oil very hot in a pot with a lid, 584 then tilt the pot so the oil collects on one side, add the tadka 585 spices (cut the garlic clove beforehand), quickly close the lid, 586 and wait until the seeds stop sputtering. The sputtered seeds and 587 oil can then be mixed together 588 with the rest of the dal. 589 + Serve with rice or chapati or whatever. 590 591 ### Other 592 593 #### German Pancakes (Serves ~1-2; makes ~5-6) 594 - Ingredients 595 + 250g flour - can use maybe 1/4 or so whole wheat flour for making it healthier 596 + 2 eggs 597 + 1 pinch salt 598 + 1 1/2 cups milk 599 + Oil for frying 600 - Instructions 601 + Mix flour and salt together in a bowl 602 + Mix in milk slowly, taking care to avoid clumping 603 + Mix in eggs (it may help to mix them separately and break the egg yolks first) 604 + Make the pancakes by always dumping a ladle of batter into a frying pan, then 605 tilting it around to make the batter cover the bottom of the pan. 606 + Notes 607 * These pancakes are more like French crêpes than the fat American ones. 608 * The batter has to be quite runny for it to work properly. You may even 609 need to add more milk. 610 * If you're using a non-stick pan, you shouldn't need to add oil after 611 every pancake, just always after making a few. They turn out nicer with 612 a little oil, though.