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 Tomato Pappu/ Tomato Dal ( Lentils cooked with tomatoes )

Main Ingredients: Tuvar/Toor Dal (Split Pigeon Peas) , Tomatoes, Garlic, Dried red chilli, Mustard seeds, Green chilli. Also Needed: Vegetable oil (or any other mild flavoured white oil), Cumin Seeds, Asafoetida (Hing), (Red) Chilli Powder, Salt, Water, Tamarind (skip if unavailable), Ghee (Clarified Butter).

Prep:

Wash and soak the pulses for at least 2 hours (soak overnight for faster cooking).

If using tamarind, soak a small lemon sized ball in warm  water (just enough to submerge it). Squeeze  and mix to extract the pulp.

Process:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin and mustard seeds to it. (Using a pressure cooker from the get go makes it a convenient one-pot dish)

Once the seeds splutter, add a sprig of curry leaves, garlic (whole/crushed/chopped), red chillies (broken) , asafoetida, and green chillies (sliced)

Wait for the garlic to lose its raw flavour, then add chopped tomatoes and cook until mushy. Add turmeric and chilli powder.

When you’re convinced that the tomatoes are more or less cooked, add the soaked dal. Add salt and mix the contents thoroughly.

Add warm/hot water to the dal in a 1:1 ratio. Cover and cook for 4-5 whistles (or less, depending on when you soaked the pulses).

Wait for the pressure to release. Trust me, you don’t want to rush this. Once, its ready, open the lid and give it a nice stir to check for an even homogeneous mixture.

Keep it on low flame/heat, add a little hot water in you want a thinner consistency. Add the tamarind pulp, and cook it for a couple of minutes.

Check for salt. Add ghee right before taking it off the heat.

Notes:

I usually follow the following proportions: 1 cup lentils, 4-5 tomatoes, 8-10 cloves of garlic, 1 red chilli, 2-3 green chillies. These are the usual proportions, adjust them according to your taste.

Do not break/slit the chillies if you have a low tolerance for spice/heat.

Tamarind doesn’t need much soaking. Soak it right before you start cooking and it should be ready to use.

Always, always, always try adding hot/warm water to your cooking otherwise it dilutes and messes up the taste.

The dish is mostly cooked on medium heat throughout. It is crucial to cook the garlic and tomatoes before adding the pulses for the flavours to come through.

Best when served hot with rice.

Hit me up with clarifications, pictures and reviews. Have fun!

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Spaghetti aglio e olio  ( spaghetti [with] garlic and oil )

Mild flavours of garlic (minced, sliced or pressed) lightly sauteed in olive oil. Variations include addition of chilli flakes (dried) :  spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino ; garnish of parsley, cheese.

Cultural adaptations of it have led to the addition of olives, mushrooms, tomatoes | Served with a side of garlic bread | Indian cafe food |