Red Lentil Dahl

Dahl is the simplest Indian dish to cook, and one that is usually better when you make it at home in my experience. Best of all, it won't give you the squirts! It is a red lentil based canvas you can add any sort of thing you want to. I chose mainly cruciferous vegetables, but use whatever you like.

Start by making the rice. I used brown rice that takes about 45 minutes to cook. 1 Cup rice to 2 Cups liquid, chicken stock is really nice, will make perfect rice every time. Add the rice when the liquid is at a full boil, then cover and turn heat to minimum for 45 minutes. Perfect rice every time.

Start the dahl by sauteing onions in oil. Add chopped carrots, broccoli stems, curry powder, lentils, hot peppers, liquid (I used chicken stock again), and bay leaf in that order. Bring to a simmer until lentils are almost cooked. Add cauliflower florets, red pepper, lime, broccoli florets, and  zucchini. Stir well to break up lentils into a smooth sauce.

It is a bit ugly, but it tastes good and is quite healthy for you. Ideally, you want to remove the bay leaves before serving them, but I kinda like finding them in there.

I would cut up the cauliflower and broccoli into smaller florets next time. They were a bit ungainly and one toppled off my fork to get caught in my beard. The seasoned rice is much better than it would have been plain. Leftovers were just as good, but not as pretty to look at.

Soy marinated chicken with vegetable fried rice and bok choi

Phase 1: Chicken - 50 minutes
Marinate chicken (4 pieces of separated and trimmed leg) in mixture of dark mushroom soy sauce, 5 minced cloves of garlic, and 1" piece of minced ginger for at least 4 hours. Preheat oven to 350F. Sear in hot cast iron pan with a bit of frying oil. Flip over, add bok choi and finish in oven for 30 minutes, flipping bok choi halfway through. Rest meat for 10 minutes outside pan to keep it juicy and so it doesn't hurt when you eat it.

Phase 2: Fried Rice - 50 minutes
Boil 3C water and add 1.5C brown rice. Turn heat down to minimum and let sit for 45 minutes. Instead of water, you can also use chicken stock or add flavour. I added a drop of sesame oil and 3 bay leaves to scent the rice.

In wok, saute 1" nub of minced ginger in olive oil (and a touch of sesame oil) for one minute, then add half a spanish onion. When onions are translucent, add 2 chopped carrots. Continue on medium heat until carrots start to soften. Separate florets of broccoli from their stem, peel and chop the stem before adding it to the pot. Chop one red bell pepper and add it along with broccoli florets. Add small amount of soy sauce and oyster sauce to veggies.

Pour cooked rice into wok and add 2Tbsp oyster sauce and 1tbsp soy sauce. Mix well. Vegetables should be cooked but not too soft at this point and the chicken should be resting.

Phase 3: Eat - Variable
Put results of all phases on a plate and eat until full. Louis C.K. claims the meal isn't over when he's full, it's over when he hates himself. So, keep eating if you must.

Phase 4: Results
A guest in my house for this meal known as the Yeddi (spelling not a mistake) couldn't believe I made the sauce for the chicken myself. It is so easy and quick. I called it Teriyaki at the time, but it doesn't have mirin rice wine and wasn't cooked. It is almost as flavourful and way easier than Teriyaki sauce. Sauce from the store doesn't count as easier in this blog.

The rice is still pretty great the next day, so I consider that a win. All the vegetables were the perfect tenderness. I like my red peppers soft, otherwise they would have stayed out until the end. Oyster sauce may sound scary but it is what gives it that authentic Chinese food flavour. Try it! It costs under $10 for the best bottle and you'll get many flavourful meals out of it. It is quite salty, so don't season other food too much.

Try this one out. If you remember the marinade in the morning (5 minutes max), this healthy, satisfying and wholesome meal can be cranked out in under an hour. And chances are you'll have leftovers to enjoy tomorrow. You could put the chicken in a sammich with avocado and cheddar (anchovies?), fry the rice up again until crispy on the edges (possibly in balls stuffed with chicken pieces and breaded first), or be boring and just reheat it.

Curried butternut squash soup

Ladypants has a tooth issue and can't chew, so I made her a soup she can eat through a straw. Soup is easy, throw a bunch of things in a pot and simmer for about half an hour, puree and eat it. Couldn't be simpler. For this soup, I boiled the the things to the left.

I used the core and leaves of the cauliflower but took them out before pureeing because I didn't like the look of their texture. So to speak. I'll serve it with a dollop of plain yogurt.

It was sweet with a good balance of spice. I didn't add any sugar, so the sweetness must have come from the butternut squash. I used Madras curry powder; very mild, floral and aromatic. I wasn't a huge fan of the balkan yogurt I used. It turned all grainy and it looked like my soup curdled.