Fried frogs; new horses

Last week was über-productive. I cooked myself a spectacular fried egg for breakfast; I rode my new bike downtown and picked up a $10 new years dress; I cleaned out the baking cabinet. Pause. For anyone who is unfamiliar with my home and its inhabitants, the thought of cleaning out a baking cabinet might not seem like such a treacherous, praiseworthy achieved victory. Well, you are mistaken. The flour, sugar, baking soda, etc. also shares accommodations with a multitude of dried things. More specifically, rice, lentils, pasta, kasha and such.

Now make no mistake, I find all these things to be joy-inducing (except maybe pasta, which I think is kinda overrated). Admittedly I don't often have the patience or foresight to cook any of them, but I still appreciate having them nearby just in case. Upon closer examination, though, I was far from thrilled with the mess of extremely hard food items that were most likely older than I am. Even after disposing of a number of clumps of rice, the cabinet was still overflowing with dried things. There was only one way to proceed.

Dhal
from vegetarian.about.com

* 1 1/2 cups dried yellow split peas
* 3 cups vegetable broth
* 1 tsp tumeric
* 1/4 tsp cayenne
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 tbsp margarine (butter is fine if you are not keeping the recipe vegan)
* 1 onion, diced
* 1 1/2 tsp cumin
* 2 cloves
* pepper

First, make sure there is nothing growing on/living in the split peas you are using. Put the peas and broth in a big pot. add the cayenne, tumeric, and salt. Feel free to add a little more cayenne for a tad more spice. Bring to a simmer.

Pause again. Let me proceed by saying that, firstly, this was my first time making dhal. Secondly, I am not much of a cook. I have my fair share of baking fiascos, and I am far more comfortable with flour and sugar than with lentils and onions. Needless to say, it was here that my first problem arose. I somehow managed to skip the part in the recipe where is says to cover the pot and continue simmering for at least 20 minutes.














About 15 minutes later into the uncovered simmering, I prepped the onion and began frying it in the margarine with the cloves and cumin. Once the onions were soft and slightly translucent (about 5 minutes) I gave the peas another stir and a quick taste. They were almost rock solid. Rather than panicking, I let them continue cooking for another five minutes or so, then I added the onion mixture, cloves and all. The recipe instructed to allow these to all cook together for at least 5 more minutes. After 5 minutes, the peas were still far from being cooked. Perplexed, I re-consulted the recipe. It was here that I discovered the part about covering the pot. I quickly added some more water and covered the pot. I allowed the dhal to continue cooking, checking every 10 minutes or so. After an additional 40 minutes of cooking time (total about 1 hour), I concluded that the peas had probably been in a state of solidity for too long to ever reach perfect softness.

Irregardless, they were cooked sufficiently for consumption, if not for qualification for a James Beard award. Perhaps due to the extended cooking time, the spices were augmented and the flavor was splendid. But let this be a warning: always exercise caution when cleaning out your kitchen. It can lead to new experiences, but it will probably just be dangerous.