{"id":3512,"date":"2013-11-03T12:34:26","date_gmt":"2013-11-03T12:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/wp\/?p=3512"},"modified":"2018-03-21T20:35:36","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T20:35:36","slug":"the-dal-cookbook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing22.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/the-dal-cookbook\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dal Cookbook by Krishna Dutta – review"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have always had those little red lentils on supermarket shelves. They seemed to be the only ones available when I was growing up. Mum would put them in a beef stew with half a cardboard tub of yellow \u2018curry powder\u2019 and call it \u2018Indian\u2019. We would eat that with mashed potatoes, as rice was for pudding. The Dal Cookbook offers delicious alternatives.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"asian Well the above recipe, although containing lentils, fell short of authenticity on almost every count; but India does truly have a wealth of lentil or dal recipes that offer a real taste of the subcontinent in the most delicious and economic fashion.<\/p>\n

Those red lentils are still found in supermarkets but these days they will be flanked by packets of other varieties. The array might be confusing to the novice dal cook, but they are all mild in flavour, and some are interchangeable. It\u2019s just as much about texture as taste.<\/p>\n

The Dal Cookbook offers simple recipes for comforting and healthy food. Spice adds vibrancy, and a raft of half a dozen or so spices will enable the home cook to produce every recipe in this book. Buy your spices in plastic bags from an Asian supermarket, as they will likely be a lot cheaper than collecting those little glass jars. You know the ones: you still have paprika from that range and it\u2019s gone pink with age. Don\u2019t display spices in sunlight, and don\u2019t use out-of-date spices as they lose their kick.<\/p>\n

So buy those spices with confidence, as these recipes will have you using them frequently and to great advantage. Part of that advantage is financial. Money is tight these days and food prices have taken an unseemly hike, of late. Lentils provide one-pot meals that are comforting \u2013 the sort of food that one craves on cold winter nights, and one doesn\u2019t have to be Madhur Jaffrey to produce them. Author Krishna Dutta has selected dishes that can easily be rustled up in a European kitchen.<\/p>\n

One doesn\u2019t need a professional kitchen<\/h4>\n

The book is divided by region, and there are even some dal dishes that one recognises from restaurant menus. However, one doesn\u2019t need a professional kitchen to tackle these lentils. Many of them just need a largish pot and perhaps a small pan \u2026and a hob. The Dal Cookbook would be a gift welcomed by anyone with limited access to a fully-equipped kitchen. The basics are, well, basically, cook lentils till done with spices; add veggies. Sounds simple, and it is, but the results of your minimal exertions will be flavourful and memorable.<\/p>\n

I have several favourites from The Dal Cookbook including Lentil Kutu with Green Beans, which makes a marvellous side dish served with just a bowl of rice, and perhaps some chicken roasted with Indian spices. Tadka Dal is an indispensible part of many traditional Indian meals \u2013 it\u2019s delightfully rich with a finish of cream. But my pick-of-the-book is Matar Peas Paneer. It\u2019s green peas with Indian cheese, and it\u2019s a hearty one-pot meal that could always be served with some Indian bread or rice. It\u2019s colourful and satisfying.<\/p>\n

Grub Street always publishes thoughtfully selected books that are great value for money, and this one costs less than \u00a317.00. The Dal Cookbook is a winner.<\/p>\n

The Dal Cookbook
\nAuthor: Krishna Dutta
\nPublished by: Grub Street
\nPrice: \u00a316.99
\nISBN: 978-1-909166-05-9<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Read reviews of more Indian cookbooks here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker \u00a9 2018<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have always had those little red lentils on supermarket shelves. They seemed to be the only ones available when I was growing up. Mum would put them in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,22],"tags":[58,73,1106,1105],"class_list":["post-3512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-cookbooks","tag-curry","tag-indian","tag-krishna-dutta","tag-the-dal-cookbook"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Dal Cookbook by Krishna Dutta - review - Mostly Food and Cocktails<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Dal Cookbook offers simple recipes for comforting and healthy food. 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