Dal Makhni and Whole Wheat Naan

Today has been fabulous! I spent the morning running (or sprinting) the Darden 5K with Everette, one of my greatest mentors; shopping at the first day of the Cville Farmer's Market; and taking a cooking class from Priti, one of the Darden students from Delhi. The First Year students had a capstone course this week where they put their first 5 terms of business knowledge to the test. They had 3 days to create a business and raise money for charity (they raised $35,000!). Not only did I get some awesome landscaping done on our front patio, but I also purchased an Indian Cooking Class. This afternoon Priti taught me how to make Dal Makhni (a thick, spicy Lentil Soup) and I found a recipe for Whole Wheat Naan (an Indian flatbread). Blake and I just indulged on these wonderful recipes while watching the VCU/Butler Final Four game and we are both completely fulfilled by this fantastic food and wonderful entertainment.

If you haven't made Indian dishes before, you will need to invest in some spices (cumin seeds, garam masala, and maybe another masala spice mixture depending on your dish). I was unable to find some of the spices at Whole Foods so I went to Taste of India (a specialty grocery in Charlottesville). If you live in a more rural area, you can find the spices on Amazon.

Dal Makhni

2 cups lentils (black lentils are the traditional ones in this dish but I used french lentils and they worked great)
1/2 half white onion (finely chopped)
1 tomato (pureed in food processor)
1 c water
1 1/2 t ginger garlic paste
1/4 t red chili powder (this is where the heat comes from so add more or less depending on your taste)
1 t cumin seeds
1 t dal makhni masala  (or other masala spice mixture)
1/2 T garam masala
1/2 t turmeric
2 t salt
2 T oil

Soak lentils overnight and cook in a pressure cooker or boil for 35-40 minutes until tender.
Heat oil and toast cumin seeds until they pop.
Add onion and cook about 5 minutes.
Add ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, turmeric, sabzi masala, guam masala, red chili powder, salt, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add veggie-spice mixture to cooked lentils. Add more water if necessary and simmer until it's a desirable consistency.
Serve with Naan or over rice.

Whole Wheat Naan (Indian Flatbread)

1 t yeast
2 t raw sugar
1/2 c warm water
2 T canola oil
2 T plain yogurt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 t salt

Mix together yeast, raw sugar, and warm water.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes to proof and add canola oil and yogurt.
Add flour and salt and knead for 3 minutes (adding more flour as needed until you have a soft but not sticky dough).
Let sit for 1 hour (it will not rise like traditional bread dough).
Divide into 4 pieces, flatten until 1/4 inch thick, and brush with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Heat a non-stick skillet on high and cook Naan on each side for 3-4 minutes.

*Adapted from a Mark Bittman recipe