There’s pleasure and comfort in the stained pages of a long used and trusted cookbook. Tonight I pulled two such books from the shelf to find tried and true instructions for red massor dal and saag gosht.
Tomorrow is a friend’s last day at work, and he requested Indian from my kitchen for the send-off lunch. These recipes are some of the best “comfort /nothing says lovin’ like something from the oven” foods I know.
The massor dal – red lentil – recipe I began making in the early 1980s. It comes from Indian Vegetarian Cookery by Jack Santa Maria, a funky little paperback I bought at Eats, the Blacksburg Food Coop, for $3.78 – member price. My copy is now held together with bow-tied kitchen twine. It was published in the UK in 1973, is spiced with Hindu wisdom and food-related folk tales, is one of my favorite cookbooks, and has the easiest, tastiest dal recipe I know.
Another well-worn book was a gift from my mother in the mid-’80s. I was living in Mobile, Ala., and dear friend Kim invited me in for Indian – the culinary heavens opened for me that night when she served chicken kabuli, various curried vegetables, and homemade naan. It was my first taste of Indian cuisine, and Kim suggested Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni, if I wanted to try my hand at it. Boy, did I! Indian was my next culinary adventure, inspired in part by the non-existence of an Indian restaurant in Mobile. From 1,000 miles away in Virginia that book arrived by mail in time for me to open it on Christmas morning. Thanks, Mom!
Over the years, Julie Sahni has taught me a lot in those pages. Chicken kabuli is still a staple in my kitchen. But beautiful spinach at the Farmers Market inspired me to go for the spinach and stewed beef for the farewell lunch.
Perhaps I should say Seth inspired the whole evening of cooking and reminiscing about the loved ones for whom I have prepared these dishes. Tonight’s cooking is for you, Seth, on your departure from our professional environs – goodbye and wonderful things to you!
Both recipes follow.
Red lentils (massor dal)
From Indian Vegetarian Cookery by Jack Santa Maria
1 cup dry red lentils (these days, I use half tiny red massor dal in combination with half yellow moong dal. This suggestion came from the owner of the wonderful Durga grocery in Woodbridge, Va. It is the best Indian food shop in NoVa.)
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika or hot chili pepper flakes
1 tsp turmeric powder
1tsp salt
2 tsps dry coriander seeds
6 whole cloves
2 inch piece cinnamon
4 green cardamoms
1 cup grated coconut, dry unsweetened
4 black peppercorns
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons veg oil
2 onions, chopped
Wash the lentils and bring to boil with salt and enough water to cover. Cook at a slow simmer. Meanwhile grind all the remaining ingredients except onions and salt. [You can use already ground spices, especially cinnamon which is hard to grind, and add to the coconut and minced or ground garlic. You also could you a prepared curry powder or garam masala here, but you won’t get quite the same flavor. ]
Heat the oil and sauté the onions slowly until they are caramelized. This takes about 20 minutes, but you don’t have to stand and stir the entire time. Just don’t let them burn.
When onions are done, add the ground spice/coconut/garlic paste (masala paste) and fry for a few minutes. I usually turn down the heat and let this cook a bit longer than a few minutes. Let your nose tell you when it is ready – it will smell toasty.
When the lentils are soft and ready to serve,usually after about an hour, add salt to taste. They should be soupy as the masala mix will take up a good bit of the liquid when added. Stir the masala paste into the lentils, and add a little boiling water if need be to keep them a nice stew consistency. Serve with naan and/or hot rice.
Saag Gosht (Beef in Fragrant Spinach Sauce)
From Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Cooking
Makes a lot – serves at least 8
3 cups cooked spinach
6 tablespoons light vegetable oil
3 lbs. beef stew meat, in 1 ½” cubes (lamb, goat, and venison also work well here)
3 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup chopped tomato (can use canned)
3 green chiles, minced (use mild red peppers if you prefer)
3 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
1 cinnamon stick, broken in small pieces
6 black, or 12 green, cardamom pods
9 whole cloves
3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon salt or to taste
4 teaspoons garam masala or prepared curry powder
2 tablespoons light vegetable oil, if needed
Some people cook the spinach for an hour with the beef. I prefer to fold in the cooked spinach just before serving. You can substitute kale, collard, or mustard greens, or combine any of these with the spinach.
Cook and drain the spinach – you will need 3 cups in the end. You can use frozen spinach if you prefer, but it won’t be velvety. Set aside cooked spinach until needed.
Wash the meat cubes, dry on paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan (I use cast iron) over high heat until very hot. Sauté the beef in small batches so the frying pan is not overcrowded. You want the meat to brown, not steam.
After beef is all browned, set aside, covered. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil to the frying pan, and add onions. Reduce heat to medium-high, and fry until they turn caramel brown, about 25 minutes. Careful not to burn them. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté a minute or two. Add cumin, tomatoes, and chiles, and continue sautéing until the tomato is cooked and the entire mixture is turned into a thick pulpy paste – maybe three minutes. Remove from flame, stir in yogurt. Cool mixture just long enough to puree it safely. I use a hand-held puree wand, but you can put it in a blender of food processor. Return puree to pot.
Next you’ll make a bouquet garni with a linen tea bag, a tea infuser, or cheesecloth. If using tea bag or infuser, lightly crush cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and bay leaves, then add to bag or infuser. If using cheese cloth, take a double layer about 6-inches square, add the lightly crushed spices, and bring the four corners up to make a little bag. Tie tightly with cotton twine. Add the spice bag/infuser to the vegetable puree in the pot. Also, add 4 cups of boiling water and the salt. Stir well. Add the browned meat, and simmer, covered, until the meat is tender. Depending on the meat, this can be from and hour to a little more than two hours.
When the meat is done, taste for salt. Remove the spice bag and squeeze it (cooled!) to get all the goodness out of it. Discard the bag. Add the cooked spinach and garam masala, and fold, gently. Return to a gentle heat for about five minutes. Let sit off the flame for ten minutes. Taste for salt. Add a little oil if it needs a little body, or you can stir in a few tablespoons of cream or sour cream.
This dish tastes better if made a few hours in advance, and allowed to rest at room temperature before being reheated and served. Refrigerate for two days or so, or freeze.
Defrost thoroughly before reheating. Serve with rice or naan.
I once heard a Yankee come-here complain about Virginia weddings. “They always have that ham,” she said, with her nostrils flared and eyebrows raised, “and biscuits. AND they act like it’s something special.”
