Tiny House Creature #2
Mix & Match Dal Dinner, cleaning tools that I don't hate, and Ina.
To be clear, I adore cooking, BUT I’ll admit this is my absolute least favorite time of year to cook. My brain is moving into spring mode, but my kitchen can’t come along for the ride because, in Minnesota, we don’t actually have spring yet. There’s no good produce, I’ve eaten most of the best stuff off my canning shelf, and holiday food wise… well, Easter and Passover just aren’t all that inspiring.
So this is when I turn to my go-to’s. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a huge recipe repeater, so I don’t have a lot of go-to recipes, but what I do have are go-to… ideas? genres? Manipulatable-and-improviseable-dinner-experiences? I’ve got some soup equations I can throw any veggie into, and some flexible sheet pan dinners, but the one I’m sharing today is a favorite any time of the year - even now.
I started making this type of dinner after listening to an interview with Priya Krishna before her book Indian-ish came out. This article from Food 52 is a great summary of that interview and even includes a “beginners guide to making dal” from her book - it is definitely worth checking out! Priya talks a lot about mixing and matching, so that is what we’re doing today!
For each section, I’ll share some ideas and links to recipes. Everything is meant to be mix and match-able, so pick your favorites and try them out! I love this type of meal on a weeknight because it’s easy to do efficiently - get your grain cooking, then the dal. While those simmer, you can focus on the veg and extras. Depending on how extravagant you go, this can all be done in 45-60 minutes. You can also do this in BIG batches for leftovers (a lot of these recipes get even more flavorful after some time in the fridge!)
You can definitely go basic here - jasmine or basmati rice work wonderfully, and so does quinoa. But if you want to get a little funky… here are some other options:
Ottolenghi’s coconut rice (the peanut crunch from this recipe is killer too!)
Baked Brown Rice - I stopped making brown rice on the stovetop years ago, and I will never go back.
Masala Rice - if you want a little extra spice in your rice!
I’m no expert, but I’ve made a lot of dal, and it seems like there are about a million ways to make it. Give yourself permission to play here - the only thing to avoid is undercooked lentils!
If you TL;DR-ed and didn’t see the link to this dal basics article from Priya Krishna, here it is again!
This article from The Kitchn is a little intense, but if you want very specific instructions, it might be for you.
Dal isn’t just for red lentils. Here is a gift link for NYT Cooking - I love this Toor (yellow split pea) Dal from Tejal Rao.
Have some green lentils to use up? Here you go! Dal Makhani - bonus, you get some kidney beans with this one too.
Since it’s still cold outside where I am, we’ll mostly be talking roasted veg today. But if you’re making this in the summer, a fresh cabbage slaw or a chunky tomato-cucumber salad are also great additions.
Here is an article on how to roast any vegetable from the Kitchn. They’re pretty relaxed about mixing veggies on the same sheet pan, while the goddess Samin Nosrat believes all veggies should be roasted separately. My opinion is you need to be able to evacuate your veggies easily. If your broccoli is toasted, but the carrots are barely cooked through, you should be able to slide the broccoli off one side of your pan, not pick through a big mess of vegetables to pull out the crispy ones.
Here are my favorites to have with dal: sweet potatoes, green beans, bell peppers and onions, carrots, celeriac, cauliflower, or a little succotash with whatever veggies I have on hand plus some frozen corn.
You don’t need the extras if you’re in a rush, or maybe you grab something out of the fridge, like a spoonful of greek yogurt, some fresh herbs, or a spicy pickle. If you want a little something more, here are some of my favorites.
This raita recipe from the queen Madher Jaffrey is something I constantly riff on. I like to add a little squeeze of lemon or lime, especially if my yogurt isn’t tangy enough.
A quick pickle, like red onion.
Toasted pepitas, sunflower seeds, or cashews.
A fried egg (of course!)
Disclaimer - I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s been on my list for a while… savory granola!
And once again linking that Ottolenghi recipe with the peanut crunch because it is SO GOOD.
Share your DAL DINNER combinations with me on Instagram! @ttink.art
It’s sloppy outside! We are quickly entering mud season #1 (#2 is early fall) and when we got a dog a few years ago, I knew my swiffer wasn’t going to cut it anymore. I also hated throwing away the disposable pads all the time. Enter… steam mop.
It’s as convenient and almost as small as a swiffer, but 100% reusable and cleans way better. You can use the steam alone, or, for tougher spots, spray a little multipurpose cleaner. Maybe for obvious reasons, you don’t want to add cleaning products directly to the water in your mop. When you’re done, throw the cover in the wash! The only downside is having to plug it into the wall, but I think it’s worth it.
I use Meyer’s concentrate when needed - 1 tablespoon concentrate = 16 ounces of cleaning solution. Hot tip: don’t accidentally pull this out of a dark closet when you’re actually looking for carpet cleaner, then pour concentrate directly on your carpet, you will have suds in your carpet for infinity days. You may cry.
Do you have cleaning products that make you maybe-not-mind-cleaning-a-little-bit-sometimes? Share them in the comments or send me a message!
A very ASMR pod for people who love Ina Garten (everyone?)
Be My Guest is the perfect podcast to listen to while you cook. Guests like Emily Blunt, Marcus Samuelsson, and Stanley Tucci visit Ina’s home for cocktails, appetizers, dinner, and conversation. They cook everything together while recording, so if you enjoy hearing a sizzly stove, ice clinking in a glass, or carrots being chopped, you’ll love this one. It truly feels like Ina’s television show but just for your ears.
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