==> See post on Recipe for Simple Dhal Dish
In my first post I presented a realistic alternative to the way we, meaning a typical Western family, can shop and feed our families in a more cost effective way.
In this post I will show you what the products look like and where to find them. They are also gluten free ingredients (check individual packaging on how processed).
Most, if not all ingredients, can be bought at your local supermarket. Alternatively, try your local produce supplier (fruit and vegies) or look for an Indian/Asian style grocery store. There are several Indian style grocery stores in my immediate area in Brisbane Qld (southside) with one large shop about 5 km from my home.
There are only four or five primary ingredients to these dishes, being rice, lentils, spices and some optional extras. All the ingredients are readily available from multiple shops. It will also quickly become evident that these ingredients don't cost a great deal which means you can feed your family with good nutritional meals on a tight budget.
Some of the great benefits of split lentils and split peas is they cook fairly quickly, you can prepare a batch to keep in the fridge to use over the course of several meals and once you cooked your first batch of dahl you can throw away the recipe book because it is so easy.
Following are some facts about lentils and split peas:
Lentils - Lentils are one of the world's oldest cultivated legume, domesticated around 7000 B.C. They are a staple diet for many cultures and a large part of the worlds population. One of the great benefits of lentils is they don't need to be soaked before cooking and take about 20 minutes to cook. The most common use of lentils is for Dahl but can also be used in soups, salads and ground to make flour for baking breads etc. In the Western world, lentils are mostly associated with vegetarian dishes but are suitable for any diet.
There are a few different types of lentils. The primary difference in them is the cooking time and taste. Any lentils will do the job. Just look for cooking instructions. There are numerous online instructional sites and videos showing recipes and how to cook dahl. You will find some videos here as well.
Where ==> local Indian style grocery store.
How much ==> The average cost of the 4 packets I bought was about $5 for approximately 1 kg.
Cooking ==> the darker ones will take longer to cook and may require pre soaking and or cooking in a pressure cooker.
How many meals ==> I expect to get about fifteen meals per 1 kg bag of lentils.
Split Peas - Our Western culture is fairly familiar with split peas which are commonly used as a soup mix. The only dish I have ever used split peas in is Pea and Ham Soup, a family favorite during the colder months. It is a dish my mother cooked often for her young family. It is also a dish that I have cooked many times. Because it is a traditional winter dish in Western culture my personal association with split peas is it has limited scope in my regular diet. However, as I have only recently discovered, split peas are a variation of lentils and can be used as a substitute for lentils in a great variety of dishes, suitable for every meal.
Where ==> Yellow and green split peas are available from any Local supermarket or grocery store. The lentils in this photo were purchased from my loca; supermarket.
How much ==> A .50 kg bag of split peas from my local supermarket is $1.70.
Cooking ==> If I cook a soup on the stove I would soak over night. If I cook with a pressure cooker they go in dry and my soup is cooked in about 25 min.
Where ==> Local Indian grocery store but can be sourced anywhere.
Type ==> I bought Basmati rice but any rice will do.
Where ==> Gee was bought from my local Indian grocery store. Butter and oil are obviously available from many local stores.
When used ==> Gee is commonly used in cooking Dahl. Most other cooking uses oil or butter. Gee could also be substituted with butter.
Other ingredients can include vegetables and meat and sourced from regular local suppliers:
Vegetable: Tomato, onion, spinach, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, ginger etc
Meat: Chicken, or red meat.
Seasoning: Salt and pepper to taste.
That's it. Not much to this folks. Some items can be substituted with other products and you can let your imagination go wild to create your own variation to the basic Dahl dish.
In my first post I presented a realistic alternative to the way we, meaning a typical Western family, can shop and feed our families in a more cost effective way.
In this post I will show you what the products look like and where to find them. They are also gluten free ingredients (check individual packaging on how processed).
Most, if not all ingredients, can be bought at your local supermarket. Alternatively, try your local produce supplier (fruit and vegies) or look for an Indian/Asian style grocery store. There are several Indian style grocery stores in my immediate area in Brisbane Qld (southside) with one large shop about 5 km from my home.
There are only four or five primary ingredients to these dishes, being rice, lentils, spices and some optional extras. All the ingredients are readily available from multiple shops. It will also quickly become evident that these ingredients don't cost a great deal which means you can feed your family with good nutritional meals on a tight budget.
Lentils and Split Peas
Some of the great benefits of split lentils and split peas is they cook fairly quickly, you can prepare a batch to keep in the fridge to use over the course of several meals and once you cooked your first batch of dahl you can throw away the recipe book because it is so easy.
Following are some facts about lentils and split peas:
- Both lentils and peas belong to the same family Leguminosae (Fabaceae) and are both legumes.
- They are both grown for their mature dried edible seeds, so they are both known as pulses.
- Both lentils and peas, can be sold whole, split or ground into flour.
- The colour of the whole lentil or whole pea is always different from the colour of the split lentil or pea and this can cause a lot of confusion if you are not familiar with the varieties available in the market.
- Both lentils and peas are high in protein (about 25/100g) and carbohydrates (about 60/100g) and are fat and cholesterol free. They are also rich in Iron and calcium.
Lentils - Lentils are one of the world's oldest cultivated legume, domesticated around 7000 B.C. They are a staple diet for many cultures and a large part of the worlds population. One of the great benefits of lentils is they don't need to be soaked before cooking and take about 20 minutes to cook. The most common use of lentils is for Dahl but can also be used in soups, salads and ground to make flour for baking breads etc. In the Western world, lentils are mostly associated with vegetarian dishes but are suitable for any diet.
There are a few different types of lentils. The primary difference in them is the cooking time and taste. Any lentils will do the job. Just look for cooking instructions. There are numerous online instructional sites and videos showing recipes and how to cook dahl. You will find some videos here as well.
How much ==> The average cost of the 4 packets I bought was about $5 for approximately 1 kg.
Cooking ==> the darker ones will take longer to cook and may require pre soaking and or cooking in a pressure cooker.
How many meals ==> I expect to get about fifteen meals per 1 kg bag of lentils.
Split Peas - Our Western culture is fairly familiar with split peas which are commonly used as a soup mix. The only dish I have ever used split peas in is Pea and Ham Soup, a family favorite during the colder months. It is a dish my mother cooked often for her young family. It is also a dish that I have cooked many times. Because it is a traditional winter dish in Western culture my personal association with split peas is it has limited scope in my regular diet. However, as I have only recently discovered, split peas are a variation of lentils and can be used as a substitute for lentils in a great variety of dishes, suitable for every meal.
How much ==> A .50 kg bag of split peas from my local supermarket is $1.70.
Cooking ==> If I cook a soup on the stove I would soak over night. If I cook with a pressure cooker they go in dry and my soup is cooked in about 25 min.
Rice
Type ==> I bought Basmati rice but any rice will do.
Spices
A variety of spices or herbs can be used. As I have had little experience with Indian style spices I though it would be a good opportunity to learn some new cooking skills. However, any spices or herbs are suitable and limited only by your imagination and taste buds.
Where ==> The large Tumeric and chilli powder I bought from the local Indian grocery store but are available at many food stores. We also had a fairly large variety of spices (rarely used) in the cupboard.
Ghee, Butter, Oil
My Nepalese friend recommended using Gee in Dahl dishes whilst butter and oil are used in general cooking.
When used ==> Gee is commonly used in cooking Dahl. Most other cooking uses oil or butter. Gee could also be substituted with butter.
Other
Other ingredients can include vegetables and meat and sourced from regular local suppliers:
Vegetable: Tomato, onion, spinach, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, ginger etc
Meat: Chicken, or red meat.
Seasoning: Salt and pepper to taste.
That's it. Not much to this folks. Some items can be substituted with other products and you can let your imagination go wild to create your own variation to the basic Dahl dish.
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