The Yarnarian cooks Indian

Moong dal with dill.  It's more yellow than the picture suggests.  Moong dal is this teeny little split yellow lentil.  It's adorable.  Well, I think that it's cute.  But better than cute is taste.  Dal, garlic, hing, AKA asafetida (I have a thing for hing), mustard seeds, and of course, dill.  Lots of dill. 

It comes out very soupy, but you add a slurry of garbanzo flour mixed with water, saute it up and it will thicken.  Thickens more as it cools.  I have no idea what it will do overnight in the fridge, but it will still be delicious.

We had 3 smallish russet potatoes, so I made potatoes with fenugreek.  We were hungry so I never got to photograph it.  It was so yummy!  Potatoes, lots of garlic, kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves 'cause I didn't have fresh), cumin seeds, salt, water.  Sounds dull, but it was out of this world.

We had leftover basmati rice with cumin plus a tofu dish.  I'm stuffed and we got rid of the leftovers.

Punjabi Garam Masala

Can you smell it?  I just ground up spices to make Punjabi garam masala.  Garam masala is a warming spice mixture added to Indian food.  Warming, not hot.  Think cinnamon, that lovely warm heat.  No chilies. 

This garam masala contains cinnamon, bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, cloves, and I tossed in some cardamom seeds 'cause I love cardamom.

Heat up a small frying pan and put it all in.  Toast, without burning for a couple of minutes.  When you smell it, it's done.  Put on a plate to cool.  When cool, put in a coffee grinder (which is NEVER used for coffee, just spices), and grind away.  It helps to break up the pieces of cinnamon.

I'll use it in an Indian tomato sauce , e.g. a butter masala sauce, or anywhere else that a garam masala is called for.

You cannot imagine how good it smells.  Don't buy the junk at the market; make your own!