Recipe: Dal and Summer Vegetables and Keep Cool!

 

Here are a few tips to stay cool.  When feeling overheated spray your neck, wrists and face with rosewater spray, it feel refreshing.  The rosewater is sold at co-ops, MOMs  and Whole Foods.  Make sure to drink cool water, not too icey, and you can put fresh mint in the water.  Practice sitali  breath.  You sip the air through your tongue, like sipping through a straw, then close your mouth and exhale slowly through your nose.  Practice for a minute or more.  I have been teaching this breath practice in my yoga classes this week, let me know if you want further instructions.

 

Below is a dal recipe for the summer, zucchini is especially good in the hot weather, and it is plentiful right now in all the markets.  Some of the ingredients are only available at Indian Grocery Stores.  I hope you will venture out and try them: hing, mustard seeds and curry leaves.  Although the taste is different you could use 2 or 3 bay leaves in place of curry leaves.  In the heat, you can leave out the mustard seeds.  Hing or asafoetida is very good for digestion and reducing gas.

 

Enjoy!

 

Masoor Dal with Vegetables

South Indian Style

2 to 4 T ghee

1 shallot, cut in half and thinly sliced

½ t black mustard seeds (reduce or optional for Pitta)

½ t cumin seeds

1  dried red chili (optional for Pitta)

scant ¼ t asafoetida (hing)

6 to 10 curry leaves

2 to 3 T unsweetened dried shredded coconut (more for Pitta)

1 c masoor dal (red lentils), soaked for at least 1 hour

½ ground turmeric

2 c water 

2 c Indian long squash, if available or zucchini/summer squash, chopped into bite size pieces

2 to 3 c chopped mixed vegetables, choose from cabbage, green beans, cauliflower, carrots, bite size pieces

 1 to 2 tomatoes coursely chopped

1 T tamarind paste mixed with ¼ c hot water

1 to 2 t garam masala

 ½ c or more chopped cilantro

 Rinse the dal until the water is clear and drain, set aside.

Heat ghee in a heavy pan and add shallot.  Stir for about 1 minute and then add the seeds, chili, hing and curry leaves.  Fry for another minute and add the coconut. Stir for about  2 more minutes until the shallot is soft, and the coconut turns light brown.  Mix in the dal, turmeric and water.  Bring to boiling, then partially cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until the dal is soft.  Then add all the vegetables, tamarind mixture and tomato.  Simmer for about 10 minutes more until the vegetables are crisp tender, add the garam masala, stir to mix, and simmer for about 1 minute more.

Add cilantro and turn off the heat.

Serves 4.