A Couple of Indian Recipes

Here are a couple of recipes that I have talked about.  

Spicy Lentils (dal)

1 cup whole brown lentils

4 cups water

salt, to taste

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

2 medium onions

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional--I leave it out b/c it makes it too spicy for my kids)

1 large tomato or a can of diced tomatoes

Wash the lentils, plance them and the water in a large pot.  Let them soak for an hour.  Add salt and turmeric, cook covered over low heat until tender 30 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, chop the onions and garlic finely.  In a small skillet over medium heat, warm the oil.  Add the cumin and once the spices darken add chopped onions and garlic and cook until browned.  Add the coriander, cayenne, tomato; cook until the tomato is soft (about 5 minutes).  When the lentils are cooked, add the tomato-onion  mixture, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Green Curry Fish

1 tsp. green curry paste (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)--this can be found in the ethnic section at the grocery store, it's a tiny little jar

about 2 Tbsp. oil (the recipe calls for sesame but I use coconut or vegetable)

2 red onions, finely chopped

2 pounds of any kind of white fish, cut into small cubes-- We've made it with whiting and with Hoki (sold in Wal-mart in the frozen section)

1 2/3 c. coconut milk

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 oz. cilantro, fresh mint, and fresh basil

Heat the oil and stir in the curry paste, add the onions and saute until soft.  Add coconut milk and fish sauce and fish and simmer until the fish is done, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the fresh herbs and serve.