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From: singh@glacier.ARPA (Harinder Singh)
Newsgroups: net.veg,net.cooks
Subject: Re: Crockpot veggies?
Message-ID: <5265@glacier.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 12-Mar-86 19:28:16 EST
Article-I.D.: glacier.5265
Posted: Wed Mar 12 19:28:16 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Mar-86 08:06:40 EST
References: <191@drutx.UUCP>
Reply-To: singh@glacier.UUCP (Harinder Singh)
Organization: Stanford University, IC Laboratory
Lines: 83
Keywords: Dal(s), Indian cooking, convenience with nutritiousness
Xref: watmath net.veg:783 net.cooks:6206
Summary: "Dal"s are great in crockpots


	My favorite way to use my crockpots (yes, two of them) is to cook
dals in them. "Dal" is a generic term in India for legumes. There are many
different types of dals, all of them available at Indian stores all over the
US. Dals can be very delicious in addition to being nutritious. Each one has
a unique taste even though the spicing is done similarly.

	My recipe for cooking dals is as follows. I make no claims to its
being "the" authentic taste.

	Rinse 2 cups of un-cooked dal in water. (Sometimes it helps to
inspect the dal by spreading it on a plate while still dry, to look for any
un-edible little stones(?) that may have remained - I get one or two such in
my mouth in a year, so I don't worry too much about them.)

	Add 3 to 4 times as much water to the crockpot. Start with less
water rather than more. You can always add more later on to get the
consistency right. In fact you'll learn soon how much more to start with.

	I add 1-2 pounds of chopped, frozen onions as well as the rinsed dal
to the water at this point. Use fresh onions if you like; I go for the
convenience and simultaneously conserve my tears for more deserving assaults
on my sense of well-being.

	Add some garlic chips, and spices as follows - 

		1-2 tsp salt, 1-2 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 2
tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp ground or crushed red pepper (cayenne or
equivalent poison of choice). Fresh (or in my case canned, ground) ginger
optional. Also, please consult any good books on Indian cooking for more
ideas on alternatives for spicing.

	This is a fairly mild level of spicing and I always need to adjust
it upwards towards the end of the cooking, by iterating in the taste. On
your subsequent experiments try increasing the spices by a half- to one
teaspoons.
	
	Many dals benefit from the addition of chopped tomatoes as well (I
always use canned tomatoes.) Also add a glug or two of your favorite cooking
oil. I use safflower for no rigorous scientific reason.

	How long will it take a dal to cook?? Depends on whether it is
shelled or whole. Shelled dals can be done in 6-8 hours on the LOW setting.
Whole dals take from 24 to 48 hours, and the beauty of using a crock pot is
that these will be ready to eat in about 24 hours but will continue to
improve until 48 hours. 

	Thus you have a wide margin of time in which to
attend to it. For starters, I would recommend a dal called ``Mah Sabit''. It
is a black bean kind of dal. Can mix it with some yellow ``chana dal'' too.
Of the quicker cooking ones you might try ``urid dhuli'', or 
``mah chilke-wali''.  You'll find more names in Indian cook-books - I ought
to remember them since I'm from India, but I don't since women do all the
cooking in India as the good Lord intended. (Eeek - sorry, sorry, just a
slip, my reformation is still only partly completed.) Overnight soaked
kidney beans can also be used with excellent results.

	If the dal starts to turn mushy you've overcooked it. Taste it when
you think it is done and start iterating on the spicing. If you've used only
one pound of onions at the beginning (or if you like onions then even if
you've used two), you can enhance the taste of the dal before serving by
frying some (1lb) chopped onions in enough (a slight excess) of aforementioned
favorite cooking oil until they brown slightly. Add more salt and red pepper
if your tasting suggested a need. Add these fried onions to the crock pot
and mix in. Add more salt and pepper if still too low on it.

	Can be eaten with warmed whole wheat pita (buttered if you like),
and yogurt. Yoplait, Mountain High or Pavel's low-fat are high on my list.
 
	Can also be eaten with rice - cooked in a rice-cooker for
convenience, of course. Yogurt recommended again.

	I'm told by an aunt that vegetables can be cooked similarly, without
adding water, but I haven't tried that yet. If in a rush, experiment with
cooking the dals on a normal stove top in a pan. Will take between 20 mins
and a couple of hours, depending on the dal. 

	I think I've covered most of what I remember about this - please
send me comments on how your experiences turn out. And remember, if dark
thoughts of revenge are in your heart, pile on the red cayenne pepper, 
declare it an ``authentic'' ethnic recipe, and watch 'em smoke! 

		-	Inder