Dal from Moong Beans
Before I went on the pilgrimage of peace to India I had never heard of Dal. After having it served at most meals I thought it was a form of lentils. When I came home I knew that it was good and wanted to make it. So when I got the recipe for Dal from Dr. Kranthi, one of our guides on the pilgrimage, I was anxious to make it. When I went to the local Indian store I learned that Dal was not just lentils but is a “preparation of pulses (dried beans) which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick, spicy stew prepared therefrom, a mainstay of Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi cuisine.” (Wikipedia) So tonight when I took out the recipe for Dal sent to me, I chose to use the Moong Dal beans to make Dal. Whole these beans are green, but split, like I purchased them, they are yellow. So following Dr. Kranthi’s recipe the best I could, I created my own form of Dal. It had the texture of polenta, something I do not like because it tastes bland to me. But this Dal tasted excellent. My wife and son liked it, so I will try it again, next time using a different type of bean purchased at the local Indian store.
On the Indian Recipes web page there is another way to make Dal that a fellow pilgrim and friend sent me. It will probably look different and may have a different texture, but probably have the same great taste.
I found out tonight that looks and even texture do not always reveal taste. It is not that the looks of this Dal were ugly, but just different from what one is thinking when he is looking for a lentil preparation. My mother, of Middle Eastern descent, frequently made lentils that had different looks, texture and taste.
I think what makes most Indian food good tasting, at least to me and my family and even my grandchildren, is the spices used in preparation. I made some substitutions tonight, powdered coriander for leaf coriander which I did not have, for example, but basically it was the Indian spices used in a certain order when cooking that made this polenta-looking dish so delicious. This might also explain why some of my Indian/American adapted homemade dishes taste good.
So the lesson learned tonight is that one must taste to see what they are experiencing. Sight and even texture do not tell the whole story. So Taste to See.
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