Chana Dal with Spinach

Yesterday i was running low on vegetables. I had spinach, but not enough to serve as full sidedish and I had two tomatos left… Not enough to fill the stomach of my boyfriend, our guest we had for one night and for me. I think I already mentioned that we can not easily access to groceries. We have to travel one hour with matatu to the next market. Normally, we buy enough groceries for one week, but we because our guest was coming unexpected, we didn`t.
So I looked at my cupboard to see what else left and found yellow grams. Ok, I didn`t exactly found them, I knew they were there, but I decided to use them.. By the way, did you know that yellow grams are spilted baby chickpeas? I was so surprised when I found out, I always thought they are yellow lentils;)

I remembered that i ate a fantastic Chana Daal in an Indian restaurant in Mombasa and so I decided to cook Chana Daal, but my way.. 

Start a night before by soaking the grams in enough water so that they are coverd. This will shorten the cooking time.  The next day begin by slicing & dicing the onion and tomatoes. You can also already prepare the spinach. Wash it, drain it and slice it in fine pieces.  In a pan heat a little oil or Geeh on medium-heat and add the cumin – and fennel seeds. Let them sauté, but be careful to not burn them. When the flavor envolves, you can add the onian and sauté it until golden brown.  Next add the tomoates and the rest of the spices, stir it well and wait until the tomatoes get soft.  Now you can add the yellow grams, the water and the coconutmilk and bring it all to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid.  Let it cook for about 15 Minutes and then add the spinach and just let it become soft. Wait for another 10-15 Minutes.  By now the grams should be soft. Taste if it needs more spicing, or otherwise it`s ready.   Serves 2: 1 red onion  1 garlic clove 1 tsp. cumin seeds  1 tsp. fennel seeds  2 tomatoes  ½ tsp Ginger  Salt  ¼ tsp turmeric  1 cup yellow gram  ½ cup coconut milk  100 gram Spinach

We really enjoyed this simply dish. It is full of flavours, has a lot of protein and is just really satisfying.

I hope you enjoy.

Love

Krisi