Indian Lentil Soup

AN ERRAND HAD ME DRIVING TO A NEARBY TOWN in pouring rain. And I mean pouring. I had my wipers going as fast as they could go and still had to slow down to about 35 (in a 65) because of such poor visibility. Fortunately, other drivers were being sensible. Some had pulled over, but I kept pressing on. I ended up being in my car for about three hours.

When I got back home, I really wanted to cook up a steaming pot of soup. I knew I had all the ingredients on hand for one of my favorites--Indian Lentil Soup. I have made this recipe many, many times over the years and it is well loved by all who have tried it. I have posted it before but in case you missed it, here it is again. I served it with Naan and yogurt.

As we sat at the table, around six o'clock, enjoying our soup, I started noticing an unusual light coming in from outside. I commented on it and kept looking at all the windows. As a photographer, I am always observing light. I finally stopped eating and said I had to look out. I looked out the back door and reported my observation as a pale yellow sky. Then I walked to the front window, pulled back the sheers and gasped, "Oh Wow! It is a Huge Rainbow!"

We had to go outside to see the entire thing. It was the biggest and most intensely colored rainbow I have ever seen. What a blessing after that odious car trip.  Once it began to fade, we went back inside to finish dinner.

Life is good.

Cabbagetown Cafe Cookbook by Julie Jordan, 1986

Fresh Cherry Chutney

AS AN ATTEMPT TO FIND MY LOST MOJO and break out of my case of the vapors, I bought a cheerful bag of fresh, ripe, juicy cherries. Due to some recent events in our life, my dear husband was feeling the same way. He came home with a bag of beautiful, velvety South Carolina peaches.

We tackled a dreaded but much needed task, together, over the weekend. Having that behind us and looking forward to gorgeous summer fruit seems to be working its magic.

The first thing I made was a spicy, bracing cherry chutney. Chutney is a condiment or sauce of East Indian origin made with sweet, sour, and spicy ingredients. Think of using chutney in place of cranberry sauce, raisin sauce, even jam or preserves. Top crackers with cream cheese and a dollop of chutney for a fulfilling snack. I especially love chutney with pungent cheese. 

Next up, I will show one of the uses I made of this chutney, but meanwhile, on to the recipe. This is a small and easily manageable batch of chutney.

Fresh Cherry Chutney

1 cup fresh cherries, washed, pitted, and halved

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2/ cup chopped red onion

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 cup golden raisins

2 Tbsp. chopped candied ginger

1 tsp. black mustard seeds

2-inch piece of cinnamon 

3 whole cardamom

freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until boiling. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer gently 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook until the sauce is thickened, just a few minutes more. Remove from heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods.

Use right away or spoon into a jar to refrigerate. 

Indian Lentil Soup

I USED TO STIR THIS SOUP with a wooden paddle in a giant soup pot when I worked as a cook in a Natural Foods Cafe. I measured lentils, onions, and tomatoes not by cups but quarts. I measured cups rather than spoonfuls of hot peppers, fresh ginger, garlic, and spices. I chopped and grated everything by hand. And I had about 2 1/2 hours from start to people arriving for lunch,  in addition to the other things I was cooking.

Whew! I sure don't have the nerve for that now.

I just made this soup again all these years later. It really is quite manageable at home and comes together surprisingly quickly. Get your lentils going, then do all your chopping and measuring of everything else. Once you have all the ingredients prepped, it is quite fun to cook. The aroma is divine. The spices are so warming. It is really sublime in taste.

I remember why people used to line up out the door on the days I cooked this.

Serve with bread and a dollop of yogurt.

Cabbagetown Cafe Cookbook by Julie Jordan, 1986

A Fondly Compiled Compendium of Black-Eyed Pea Recipes

Black-Eyed Pea Curry

Baked Sweet Potato with Black-Eyed Peas

Texas Caviar

Hoppin' John

Crock Pot Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Pakastani "Old Clothes" Beef Curry (Nihari)

When I first saw the cookbook, The Indian Slow Cooker by Anupy Singla, I knew I wanted it. I don't buy a lot of cookbooks anymore, but this one was unique and had real appeal for me.

I love, love, Indian food. I love the spices and the complicated flavors. I have tried my hand at cooking Indian food, with mixed success. It is a very labor intensive way of cooking and a real gift of love, which I believe adds to the deliciousness.

Having had much success with crock pot cookery, this book doubly appealed to me, and also made sense. Not having ever seen anyone actually cooking Indian food, I've always had to depend on words, all of which did not totally make sense (to me). Dumping everything into a crock pot and walking away sounded so alluring, I finally bought the book.

There was still a bit of work to this recipe, namely peeling and slicing vegetables and mixing and grinding spices--all the most pleasurable parts of cooking to me. The combination of spices was so exotic and aromatic, I was practically swooning.

Pakistani "Clothes" Beef Curry (Nihari)
2 medium onions, sliced
2 pound beef brisket
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 heaping teaspoon ground ginger
4 whole cardamom pods
3 bay leaves
1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp. garam masala
2 Tbsp. ground fennel
1 Tbsp. red chile powder
2 pinches nutmeg
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. white salt
1 tsp. black salt
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

Put the onions in the crock pot. Top with the beef.

Grind the ginger and garlic into a paste (I used a mini food processor) and add to crock pot.

Add the ground ginger, cardamom pods, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, garam masala, fennel, red chile powder, nutmeg, turmeric, white and black salt. Drizzle the oil over everything. There's no need to mix.

Cook on low for 9 hours. The dish is done when the beef starts to shred and fall apart, just like old clothes.

Enjoy with thick naan and a salad made with sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and sliced cucumbers, all drizzled with fresh lemon juice and sprinkled with sea salt and a little red chile.