Geetha's Kitchen

Dal Do Jeera means Dal with double cumin; here it means cumin prepared two different ways - fried in the oil and dry-roasted. The warm, nutty, toasty flavors of both the fried and the dry roasted cumin seeds complement the dal deliciously. Easy to prepare and love, this dal is another one of our favorites. Leftovers, if any, may be frozen. Mung dal, whole cumin seeds, peppercorns, and other spices are available in Indian Markets. 4 - 6 Servings Ingredients: 1 cup yellow Mung Dal 1/2 tsp Turmeric Sea Salt to taste 1/4 cup Cilantro, finely chopped 1 tsp Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp Whole Black Pepper Tadka/Thalippu: 2 tsp Ghee/Oil 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 3-4 Coin-sized slices Ginger, minced 1 onion, finely chopped 1 or 2 mild/sweet Green Peppers, chopped 1 Jalapeño or Serrano Chile, deseeded and minced Method: Sort and wash the dal well. Bring to a boil in enough water to cover, reduce heat and simmer until soft and creamy - about 30 minutes; add the turmeric and salt. Set aside. The dal may be c...

In my quest for good salsas, I have been experimenting with various dry red chiles when fresh ones are not available. Smoky chile salsa only looks fiery but is quite tame and delicious with the deep chile flavor of toasted chiles. If you want less a spicy salsa, remove the seeds from all the chiles before pureeing them; on the other hand if you want to kick up the heat a notch or two, leave the seeds in and/or add more chiles. This is an adaptation of a recipe from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. Another chile recipe to add to my collection :D! Chipotle chiles (dried Jalapeño chiles) are available in most markets as dry pods or canned in adobo sauce; you will definitely find them in Mexican markets. If using the canned, there is no need to cook them; just use a little or a lot according to taste. Store the unused canned chiles and sauce in a sterile jar in the refrigerator; they last a long time. I used both chipotle and fresh chiles for their different flavors to add de...