Author: Piret Saar

Chana Dal (half saucepan)

Oil:
3 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Arada Berberé
1 tsp Curry
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds or mustard seeds
1/2 tsp salt
2 bay leaves – optional, gives a meatier taste

Cook the Chana Dal with bay leaves (if desired) and salt. During cooking remove the forming foam.
When the dal is soft enough, drain the dal, remove the bay leaves and prepare the spice laced oil:

– Heat the olive oil
– Add cumin seeds and sizzle until they start to turn dark (or add mustard seeds and cover with a lock as they start popping and wait until they become silent)
– Add the rest of the spices (except salt) and sizzle for a couple of seconds

Final touch:
– Pour the oil into the lentils and mix
– Add more salt if needed

water
red lentils (half saucepan)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp asafoetida (djävulsskit)
1 tsp cumin seeds

The water and lentils ratio will define how thick the result will be. It is fine to have it quite liquid in the beginning, it will thicken over night.

– Put the lentils into the saucepan and cover them with water + add a couple of extra cm of water. You can always add more later. (Cook some water in case you want to add more water later.) Quite a lot of water in the end, should be pretty liquid
– Add turmeric.
– Add salt
– Start cooking and stirring from time to time.
– Add more water if needed.

When the lentils are ready, prepare the spice laced oil:
– Heat the olive oil
– Add cumin seeds and sizzle until they start to turn dark
– Add asafoetida and sizzle for a couple of seconds

Final touch:
– Pour the oil into the lentils and mix.

1 large broccoli
1 onion
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp curry
1 tsp cumin seeds
olive oil
salt
water

Fry chopped onion until golden brown. Have enough oil, so that it almost swims in it.

Add cumin seeds and let them turn brown.
Add all spices (except salt) and mix.
Add chopped broccoli and fry a couple of minutes. You might need to add more oil as broccoli absorbs quite a lot.
If the frying pan becomes dry, add some boiled water and let it cook in.
Add more water if the broccoli is still too hard.
Add salt.

1 cabbage
2 tsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
olive oil
salt

Fry the cabbage in olive oil until golden brown.
Add the species and fry some more.
Add salt.

If the cabbage feels too dry, add some boiling water.

1 cabbage
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
olive oil
salt

Fry the cabbage in olive oil until golden brown.
Add the species and fry some more.
Add salt.

If the cabbage feels too dry, add some boiling water.

160 ml olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
7-1 medium sized garlic cloves (or 16 really small) very roughly chopped
3 tsp Arada Berberé (I use 3 tsp)
3 tsp paprika powder
1 kg chopped tomatoes
1-2 tsp salt (himalaya)

Before you start, prepare everything you need and place it by the stove, as once you start it’s going to go too fast for you to measure out anything.
Preparation:
1. Chop the garlic in large chunks
2. Measure out Berberé and paprika powder into a little bowl
3. Measure out cumin seeds
4. Cut open the chopped tomato packages

– Heat the oil, really hot, try with some cumin seeds to see if they bubble slightly when thrown in
– Add cumin seeds. Let them sizzle until they become darker (But not black! Less is more here.)
– Add garlic. Let it sizzle until they START turning golden brown (Don’t let them have dark colours. Less is definitely more here.)
– Add spices and let them sizzle for a couple of seconds.
– Add tomatoes. Use a large wooden spatula and pour the tomatoes on and to let them glide on it into the oil, as this way the oil will stay more calm.
– Add salt.
– Let boil on low heat until you see the oil clearly separating from the “meet” of the sauce.