I was looking for something quick after a full day of work. Right after work I drove to Sausalito, Ca to visit friend of mine who lives on a houseboat. We upgraded my Specialized Roubaix with a new rear cassette, derailleur and chain. Hopefully I won’t struggle too much when the grade gets steep. We enjoyed a couple of Racer 5 IPA’s from Bear Republic brewery and then I hit the freeway. I was greeted with the typical 101 gridlock at 6:30pm on a Wednesday night. I knew as soon as I got home I was taking my daughter back to school shopping, so it was going to be a late dinner.
I’ve been in the mood for some Indian food and while trolling the cabinets I noticed some “old” Chana Dal in the back of the cupboard. Keyword there is “old” 🙂 The garden is in full swing and I’m giving away zucchini, so I decided to combine the two with some Indian flavors.
1-2 Zucchini sliced into 1/4″ half moons
1/2 onion diced ( I used red onion, because they were fresh from the garden)
1 tsp Ginger chopped or grated
1 small pepper (Chili) finely diced (picked a small red jalapeno from the garden)
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 Tbs Oil ( I used olive oil)
1 tsp Ground Corriander
1 tsp Garam Masala
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Rinse the dal a few times in water and soak for an 1 hour, if you have the time. I didn’t, so it went straight into a pot of water with a 1 tsp turmeric. If your dal isn’t old, they should be done in 20-30 minutes (mine was still al dente after 50 minutes!) When done, drain and retain some of the cooking liquid and set aside.
While the dal is cooking, heat the oil in a saucepan and add the ginger and peppers and saute for 1 minute. Add the onions and zucchini and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the spices and simmer covered until zucchini are cooked to your likeness. Add the dal and stir together. At this point you can add some of the leftover cooking water to get it to the consistency you like.
Things I’d add next time
red pepper flakes or more diced pepper
Minced garlic with the ginger
