Lamb with Chickpeas and Lentils (Ghosh vari daar)

Since relocating to Mumbai in May, we hadn't invited any friends over for a meal because 1) we only had 4 chairs at our tiny IKEA dining table; 2) there were only 4 plates, 2 cups, 4 forks and 4 spoons; and 3) I wasn't confident cooking for guests. But due to a recent kind donation of utensils and crockery from a returned Singaporean and a "shameless" self-invitation from a friend (it went like this: "We've been seeing all your food pictures and wonder when you're going to cook for us!") , we finally invited a couple of friends over last night. And this was what I cooked:  

Everyone enjoyed the mutton dish 'cos the meat was so just tender and the gravy flavourful.

This fantastic recipe is from Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law  and I've modified it slightly to reduce the heat and to make it slow carb diet friendly. 

Serves: 4
Cooking time: At least 1.5 hours

ingredients
225g/1 cup of channa dal (split chickpeas), well rinsed (I used dried whole chickpeas, soaked overnight) 
2 tbsp moong dal, well rinsed (any type of lentils will be fine actually)
500g mutton (or lamb shoulder or leg, if you can), cubed with bone retained, trimmed of fat and rinsed to remove stray splinters of bone
1.5 tsp salt
3 fat cloves garlic
3cm ginger
2 green chilies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp peanut/cooking oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2.5cm cinnamon stick
3 cardamoms
3 cloves
10 black peppercorns
4 tbsp crushed canned plum tomatoes and juice (I replaced with 1 chopped fresh tomato and 3 tbsp of tomato puree)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp finely chopped coriander stems
2 medium potatoes, peeled and halved (Omitted because of PJ's slow-carb diet)
Juice of half a lemon (optional)
1/2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (optional)

method 
Put both types of dal in a small pan with 4 cups/1 litre of water and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum, then partially cover the pan and simmer until the pulses are soft. This should take about 30 minutes - you may need to add more boiling water from time to time. (If you are using whole chickpeas, cook it for 30 minutes first before adding lentils; then cook for another 30 minutes i.e., total 1 hr).

Meanwhile, put the meat in a small pan with 500ml/2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp of salt. Bring to the boil, skim off any scum and cook rapidly for 10 mins. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes until tender.

Crush the garlic, ginger, 1 green chili, cumin seeds and 1 tsp of salt to a paste. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves and peppercorns. Cook over moderate heat until the edges of the onion begin to turn brown. Add the garlic-ginger paste and cook for a minute or so, then add the tomatoes, the remaining chili (left whole), turmeric, coriander stems and the potatoes (optional). Stir well and simmer until the oil pools around the masala mixture.

Add the cooked meat and its cooking liquid to the masala and continue to cook over medium heat. Puree the dal and its cooking water using a hand-held blender, or beat with a whisk - it should be fairly think and soupy. Add it to the masala. Simmer gently until the potatoes are tender (if you're not using potatoes, just simmer for another 15-20 minutes).

(optional step) When you're ready to serve, stir in the lemon juice and chopped coriander and check the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary (not really!).

notes
If you prefer more heat, use 4 green chilies - 2 in the paste, and 2 whole with the tomato mixture.

Whole Lentils with Herbs and Spices

Dal - a soupy mixture of lentils in herbs and spices - is probably my favourite dish in Indian cuisine. This recipe adapted from Cooking with my Indian mother-in-law is a flavourful and much healthier version (i.e., less oily) than some of the dal you will find in Indian restaurants. 

Serves: 4 with rice, or 2 as part of a complete meal
Cooking time: 45 mins

ingredients
225g (slightly more than 1 cup) of brown lentils (alternatively, use 175g of yellow lentils w/o skin and 50g red split lentils)
1-2 green chillies
1 fat clove garlic
4 cm ginger, peeled
1 tsp salt
2 tomatoes, skinned and halved
1 tbsp canola or peanut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 teaspoon dhana jiru (blend of ground coriander seeds and cumin seeds)
Pinch of turmeric
1/2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro) stems
1/2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander (cilantro leaves)

method
Wash the lentils in several changes of water until the water is clear. Drain and put them in a put with 2 litres or 8 cups of water. Bring to the boil without the lid. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer the dal for 35 minutes or until it is soft.

While the lentils are cooking, make the tomato mixture. Top and tail 1-2 (depending on how much spiciness you can take) of the green chillies. Put chillies, garlic, ginger, salt and tomatoes into a food processor and blend the mixture until well blended and finely chopped up.

Heat the oil in a soup pot, add the mustard seeds and onion and fry until pale golden. Add the butter. When melted, add the dhana jiru and turmeric. Cook the spices for a few seconds, then add the tomato mixture and the coriander stems. Increase the heat and simmer the masala until the oil pools around the sides of the pot. Set aside.

When the lentils are cooked, take a whisk and beat the mixture to make it as smooth as possible. Add it to the cooked masala in the soup pot and bring the mixture to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Depending on your preference, you may wish to add more water to achieve the consistency of a thin soup.

Add pepper and more salt if necessary, and serve hot with coriander leaves scattered over.

tips
To skin tomatoes, pierce the bottom of each tomato with a "X" using a small kitchen knife. Put the tomatoes in a deep bowl and pour freshly boiled water over them (enough to cover them completely). Leave for around 5 minutes, remove the tomatoes from the bowl and you will be able to peel off the skin easily starting from the "X".
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Whole lentils with skin will give your dal more bite. If you prefer something softer and more mushy, use lentils without the skin.

Lamb with Peas and Mint in a Lettuce Wrap

This dish is usually paired with rice or bread, but I decided to serve it on iceberg lettuce leaves ala Korean ssambap style to suit PJ's slow carb diet. You can also try this with other types of lettuce or even cabbage. I personally prefer lettuce because the sweetness of the leaves complement the slight spiciness of the lamb. 

This recipe is adapted from Om books' Complete Indian Cooking. 

Serves: 2 (if eaten as a complete meal)
Cooking time: 20 mins

ingredients 
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp roughly chopped and crushed garlic
1/2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
275g lean leg of lamb, minced (ground)
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 fresh green chilli, chopped

method 

In a deep heavy frying pan, heat the oil and fry the chopped onion over a medium heat for 5 mins until golden.

Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, chilli powder, ground coriander and salt. Stir well.
Add the sliced tomatoes and the spice mixture to the onions in the frying pan and fry for 2-3 minutes. stirring occasionally. Add the minced lamb to the mixture and stir-fry for about 7-10 minutes to brown the meat.

Break up any lumps of meat which may form in the pan. Add the carrot, peas, mint, coriander and green chilli and mix together well. Cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes until the carrot and peas are cooked, then serve immediately with lettuce leaves. 

tip

Mince your own meat as far as possible. In this way, you can be assured that the meat is fresh and clean (and it's exactly the parts that you want and need). Simply chop up the meat into chunky pieces, and pulse it on low in a food processor for under 15 seconds.