Red Lentils with Mango and Eggplant

Ingredients:

1-½ cups red lentils (masoor dal)

3 cups water

2 Oriental eggplants, cut in bite-size pieces and tossed with salt

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

½ tsp. black mustard seeds

2 dried red chilies

2 tsp. ginger paste

1 (3 oz.) pkg. dried unsweetened mango slices

or 1 green mango, peeled, deseeded and chopped

Salt to taste

1 tsp. ghee or melted butter

cilantro, chopped

2–3 whole green chilies

Directions:

1.    Wash lentils until water runs clear.

2.    Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat & add mustard & dried chilies.

3.    When mustard seeds start to sizzle, add lentils, salt, mango and water.

4.    Cover and cook on medium heat until lentils are tender.

5.    Adjust salt to taste, add eggplant and ginger paste.

6.    Cover and cook until eggplant pieces are cooked.

7.    Garnish with ghee, cilantro and whole green chilies.

8.    Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed rice or naan.

Kashmiri Rogan Josh

This dish was inspired by a couple of recipes posted on Facebook, but I modified it to suit my family's taste. I reduced the amount of Kashmiri mirch and added 2 Roma tomatoes instead and also added potatoes because of our love of meat and potatoes :) 

I was tempted to cook this in the pressure cooker, but decided to take the traditional route and cook it long and slow on top of the stove.  It took a total of 1-1/2 hours to cook.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. baby lamb leg, cut in stew pieces

1 Russet potato, cubed (optional)

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cinnamon sticks

4 black cardamoms

2 star anise

2 medium (Roma) tomatoes, chopped

½ tsp. hing (asafoetida)

1 level tsp. dried ginger powder

1 heaped tsp. Kashmiri mirch

½ tsp. black pepper powder

½ tsp. cardamom powder

1 cup boiling chicken broth

1 level tsp. roasted fennel seed powder

1 tsp. garam masala

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Wash lamb pieces and rub well with salt.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat and temper with hing, cinnamon sticks,    black cardamom and star anise.
3. Add lamb pieces, fry until oil resurfaces, add tomatoes and again cook until oil resurfaces. This step should take about half an hour.
4. Reduce heat to medium, stir in ginger, black pepper, Kashmiri mirch and cardamom powder.
5. Stir well and add chicken broth and potatoes.
6. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender for about an hour.
7. Add fennel seed powder and garam masala, adjust salt and remove from heat.
8. Serve with rice or naan.