Its been a week since I posted, I have been out of town and returned Saturday. Today my son and I went to the DeKalb market in Brooklyn and I highly recommend everyone to visit. We decided to eat Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches and they were delicious.
Since I had a heavy lunch, I came home and made a lentil soup, most Pakistani’s call it phiki daal which is bland lentils. I made some cumin rice and corn as that was all I had in my freezer.
The sweet corn is a quick Indian recipe my aunt makes. In a few teaspoons of olive oil add 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of chili flakes. I add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and a bag of frozen corn. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Salt is added to taste.
A lot of people avoid sweet corn as it is high in carbohydrates. In my opinion every single vegetable can be eaten in moderation. Sweet corn can be used as a side dish with a meal. Sweet corn has 3.5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein in 1 cup. It has 325 milligrams of potassium and vitamin A.
The lentils were the yellow split moong as that’s my favorite being the lightest on the stomach. I boiled 1 cup of the lentils in 3 cups of water with a green chili and turmeric. It cooks very quickly. Beware of the lentils boiling over. I then added a baghar. In 2 tablespoons of heated ghee, I added a few curry leaves and 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of garlic and a few dried red chilies. Once everything sizzled, I added it to the lentil soup. Salt is added to your taste. Before serving add lemon juice and cilantro.
The cumin rice took 15-20 minutes to make. In 1 tablespoon of hot ghee, I added a teaspoon of cumin seeds. After they sizzled, I added 2 cups washed rice,3 cups of water, salt and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. I let the rice boil for the water to evaporate, then I covered the pan and cooked it on a very low flame for 15 minutes. Open the pan and fluff the rice with a fork. Its a hit and miss with the texture of the rice. The grains should be whole.
The meal was nutritious, comforting and so easy. I use grass fed ghee for some of my desi cooking, but it does contain saturated fat and is an acquired taste. Olive oil or Avocado oil can be used instead.
Most of my recipes are with red chilies and green chilies as my family enjoys spicy food. The spice level can be changed to your taste.