Coconut Masoor Dal

I wanted not to cook today, especially any meat. I wanted to just eat dal on hot bed of steamed rice...yum yum yum. Simple pleasures of life.
Masoor dal or the red lentils are one of my favorite lentils. My mom did not cook them very often.

Anyway, the dal I made today is super delicious creamy dal with coconut milk. Enjoy with hot steamed rice or your favorite roti

Khopra Masoor Dal (Red lentils in coconut milk)

Coconut Masoor dal

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup masoor dal
2. 2 ripe tomatoes chopped fine
3. 1 medium small onion chopped fine
4. 2 large garlic cloves
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 1 cup coconut milk
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, urad dal, mustard seeds, hing, salt, chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric
8. 3 dried red chillies, few curry leave

In a pressure cooker cook the dal with 2 cups water add turmeric for 4-6 whistles. Let the steam escape.

In the mean time heat oil in a pan and add cumin, urad dal, mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves and fry till they start to splutter. Add finely chopped garlic and hing and fry for 30 minutes. Add the rest of the powder ingredients and mix well. Add onions and fry till they become brown. Add tomatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes. Open the cooker after the steam has escaped and add it to the pan and mix well. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add coconut milk and simmer further for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy hot hot :)

Sweet and spicy thai coconut soup

After moving to this new city we have missed our favorite Thai restaurants on the west coast. So here one day we found a Thai restaurant with good reviews to it and went to try it. The Thai coconut soups was very good but that's it. Nothing else was praise worthy. Anyway, the following is my take on the Thai coconut soup and yum yum it warms your up from inside. Enjoy

Sweet and spicy Thai coconut soup 

Sweet and Spicy Thai Coconut soup

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2. 1/2 tablespoons each of grated fresh ginger , grated garlic
3. 1 teaspoons red curry paste
4. 2 cups chicken broth
5. 1 tablespoons fish sauce (optional)
6. 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
7. 1 heaped teaspoon smooth peanut butter (optional)
8. 1/4 teaspoon or more sambal
9. 1/2 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
10. 1 Tablespoon each of finely sliced onion, sliced mushroom

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions and mushroom for 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add red curry paste and stir for 1 minute. Add all the other ingredients and bring to a gentle rolling boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon dried basil and finely chopped cilantro before serving. Serve hot