Recipe 2: Rice and Split Peas (Daal Khichadi)

One of the current challenges I'm having with using cookbooks for inspiration is that I've also been working on eating down my pantry and freezer this winter. So on top of trying new recipes, I'm trying to try them with whatever ingredients I happen to have on hand. This means really getting creative.

I knew I wanted a bean dish, so I grabbed The Art of India's Cookery, by William I. Kaufman and Saraswathi Lakshmanan (Doubleday & Company Inc., 1964). I know this book has a good selection of vegetarian dishes in it, although I have primarily used this book for other curries.

I got this book at a thrift store a couple years ago. It has a very colourful cover, and looked fairly authentic. It wasn't until I got it home that I realised it had previously been owned by a very heavy smoker. It reeked of cigarettes. I couldn't stand to look at it for more than a few minutes at a time. It ended up spending a significant amount of time in a plastic bag with a generous dusting of baking soda. Now it just smells like a book, and I'm not as hesitant to use it.

I chose this recipe because I do have some split peas in the cupboard that I'm trying to use up. I've used basmati rice, a rather large sweet onion, coconut oil for shortening, and black cardamom pods, since these are what I had available. Everything else I had on hand as described.

I've never tried to crisp onions before. I set the burner to medium heat, and fried them for what seemed like forever. They got brown, but were nowhere near crisping up. I'm guessing I didn't have the heat set high enough, but I'm not really sure. Research will be needed.

I served this with a dollop of plain yoghurt, and the not so crispy onion. It's very good. Mildly spiced, but not bland. The crispy onions would give it some nice texture I think.


Rice and Split Peas (Daal Khichadi)
1 cup raw rice
1 cup lentils or split peas
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 whole cardamoms, crushed
4 cloves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Hot water

Wash rice and lentils separately. Steep in warm water for half an hour. Heat shortening in large skillet and fry onions until crisp. Remove and keep warm. Drain lentils. Fry until water is evaporated, Drain rice and add to frying lentils. Add cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, and black pepper. Stir well. Pour on hot water to reach 2 inches above level of rice. Cover tightly. Cook over slow heat until rice is cooked, approximately 1/2 hour. Place rice in serving dish and cover with crisp onions. Serve with yoghurt. Yield 4 to 6 servings.