Apologies to anyone who might be expecting a fun and interesting new post about kitchen antics from me…instead what I have to offer today is a dry, pedantic review of some dals. I updated my page about dals, and I plan to keep adding to it with other dals I have not yet covered, and of course adding links to more dal recipes. This page is meant to be a one-stop-shop for all dal-related information on The Odd Pantry. Dull, yes, but someone has to do it.
The Odd Pantry 
This is a great post Aneela. At times I feel confident about the varieties and other times I struggle. What is the black skinned dal used with rice to make dosa?
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Sandra (think it’s you) you found the one dal I haven’t covered yet. This is udad dal, Vigna mungo. I will go into this one too, but I have to wait until I have at least one recipe to offer!
That one is actually unique, because it ferments so easily. I have covered its fermentation, if you look for ‘beasties in my batter’.
Coming soon.
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Also, I wouldn’t worry about not feeling confident. My mom cooked with the green, split mung dal for decades, but it took my googling to inform her that this was the same as the yellow mung dal, just with skin removed. One knows what one sees :).
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You are right, someone had to do it. Great job! I spot dried broad beans in the bottom of your photo. What do you do with them? I’ve had them as a mashed dip (called koukia after the Greek name for the bean) – a Cretan speciality – with lots of olive oil, sage and garlic. They’re also a feature of Cretan winter stews. A real pain to cook since they have to be shelled after soaking.
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Broad beans are something I have not cooked with much, or at all. Hubby has a childhood dislike of lima beans so I’m prohibited from experimenting with them. The only one I’m used to is red kidney beans (rajma).
Lot of learning to do in this area….
Perhaps the two ideas you mention are good for me to start with…what is the dip eaten with?
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Bread! I should probably do a post on koukia – they are very, very, very different from lima beans and I wonder if your husband might even like them. Broad beans are one of the few Old World beans – i.e. didn’t originate in the Americas – and used a lot in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.
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Interesting! Yes you should do a post! I would love to experiment with them.
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