What a Doll! (oops... what a DHAL)



Arta's Dhal Variantion




I can't believe it. I actually made my first batch of Dhal!

Arta made this for me while she was here visiting, and then left me the recipe...or rather... two different recipes with notes on her modifications. :-)

I took the bull by the horns and tried it. Yum, yum! .... especially with a dollop of Geeta's Premium Mango Chutney (or the Chili Lime Chutney if you prefer that!)

And, as we all know, given my past history in the kitchen, if "I" can cook this, then ANYONE can cook this!  :-)

 

"Arta's Variations on a Dhal-Theme"

Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
• 1 T. sesame oil or, alternatively, olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh ginger


• 4 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 t. cumin
• 1 t. coriander
• 1 t. tumeric
• ¼ t. Cardamom
• ¼ t. cinnamon
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 t. salt, or to taste
 • 1 cup of canned coconut milk
• 1 yam (which was already cut into cubes and boiled until soft)
• 2 cups (or so) of fresh spinach, roughly chopped.


Preparation:
1. In a 3-quart stockpot or other medium-sized soup pot, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.
2. Stirring constantly, add the water or broth, lentils, spices and salt. Bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat to low, cover and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are very tender
3. Stir in the coconut milk, and yams and spinach, and cook several minutes more, or until the soup is desired temperature and consistency, adding more water to the dahl if needed.

Then add the chutney of your choice, and eat with naan bread.  yum!

Lunch time in Saint Petersburg

art on the walls outside

 Thursday and Friday, in between our talks at the centre, we strolled over to "The Floors" for lunch.

It was one of the groovier sites I have seen in a while.

It is an old bread factory. Part of it still is a factory, and part is an 'art space' and a restaurant....in loft style.

You have to enter, indicate you are going to the restaurant or gallery, and not the factory, then cut through a yard to the other side. 



The space between "1" and "2"

The restaurant is on the 4th floor. 

To get there, you must take the stairs.... which give you a running tally up the side (ie. 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 .... as you go up the risers)

Up at the top, is restaurant.  It is quite open, and is full of 'art pieces'.  

borscht!

The first day i tried the Lagman (a kind of chinese noodle soup), and a desert called "Bird Milk". 

I also had a bite of a roll (fresh from the factory below). 

 I have to say, it was just as good as the ones my mom makes!

So...for lunch on our second day, we returned to the scene of my happiness, and I went for salad (carrots and cabbage), Borscht, and THREE rolls hot from the oven.  Delicious!

The view from the roof of 'the floors'



We  stopped in at the art gallery to check out the show. 


Cubist art?

It was a bunch of 'cubist' art...large lego influenced shapes, like walking men carrying rubic cubes, or icons from video games. 

I also loved their Tetris influenced video game screen... it kept sending down shapes that were impossible to fit together (which i should know, from all those wasted college years playing the game instead of reading the assigned passages of James Joyce's "Ullyses" for my "Irish Literary Revival" class) 
 



Tetris with a twist