Tidali dal and rotis

Payal and I went on a grand adventure to Patel Brothers, the mecca of Indian grocery stores. Among other fascinating things, they had arvi (taro root, like in Hawaii), lotus root, and turmeric root, which I always forget is a root, but it looks like bright orange ginger.

Back home, she taught me how to make tidali dal (literally, "three dal dal," because it has green, black, and yellow dal) and rotis (the Indian version of a whole-wheat tortilla). When I was in India, I learned that some people must have a dal at every meal, or it's not a meal. I also learned that some people must have rotis with their dal, and some must have rice, and some must have both. And I get it, because fresh rotis are incredible. If you have the luxury of a gas stove, you can cook them on an open flame, which Payal says is as close to tandoori roti as you can get at home. Until I build a tandoor in my backyard.

Tidali dal

Serves 8, could easily halve.

for the lentils

3/4 c split moong dal (these are green mung beans split in half)
3/4 c split urad dal (these are some sort of black bean, I don't recognize it as anything else)
3/4 c channa dal or other yellow dal (channa dal are split chickpeas, but we used the smaller yellow toor dal to great effect)
2 small or 1 medium onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
4 chiles, roughly chopped (these look like Thai chiles to me, small, thin, and green)
6 curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric
salt, to taste
chili powder (pure ground red chiles, not the chili powder spice mix you'd use to make chili)
cilantro, for garnish

for the tadka

oil (canola, soy, vegetable, sesame, peanut)
4 chiles
6 curry leaves
2 t cumin seeds, whole
4-5 bay leaves
1 T ginger-garlic paste (or a mix of grated ginger and garlic)

Rinse the dal, then change the water and soak for one hour. Reusing the soaking water, cover the dal with water by an inch in a heavy pot and set to simmer. Add the turmeric and a teaspoon of the salt, and bring to a low boil. Add the tomato, onion, chiles, and curry leaves and then let simmer for an hour, until lentils are tender and don't seem uncooked. You'll have to watch and stir every so often so it doesn't stick, and you may need to add more water.

Prepare the tadka: In a small saucepan, heat 2 T oil (or enough to cover the bottom well). Add the cumin seeds and let them cook a bit until they are fragrant. Add the curry leaves, chiles, and bay leaves. Cook about 2 minutes - spices will sputter in oil and become very fragrant, while the leaves will go from green to greyish and the chiles will be browning. Add the ginger-garlic paste, stir and cook a bit more, then remove from heat.

Add the tadka to the lentils, taste for salt, and add chile powder. Continue to cook for about 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rotis.

Roti

2 c whole wheat flour (we used whole wheat bread flour, would like to try with whole wheat pastry flour)
1 T canola oil
1/4 c plain yogurt (not nonfat is best)
1/2 t salt
water (you'll need at least a half cup, probably more)

Mix the first 4 ingredients by hand (literally, use your hand!). Dough will have a shaggy texture. Add water a bit at a time while mixing. Dough should come together in a ball that is easily pliable and doesn't crack. If it is too tough or craks, add more water. Knead (use your muscles!) for a few minutes - you should have a smooth, elastic dough, but it will seem heavier than most yeast doughs. Allow to rest for half an hour.

Roll out golf ball-sized pieces of dough into very thin, even circles (as thin as you can, less than 1/8 inch). Heat a nonstick skillet; when it's hot, add the roti. Let it cook for 20 seconds on one side, then press down with a paper towel (or your hand, if you're daring) - pressing on one area will cause air bubbles nearby, which is what you're looking for. When it's done on one side, flip and repeat on the other side. Alternatively, flip and cook over an open flame - the roti will puff up and blister (don't set the house on fire).