Cascadia Table

People often comment on the fact that I cook dinner at home every night. And I think there’s a misconception that I’m cooking elaborate meals or trying out new recipes constantly. But the truth is…No. On weeknights, I cook the same formulas, over and over. Dishes I’m so familiar with I can cook them half-asleep. Dishes that don’t require a strict recipe, that I can move through despite the many distractions of three kids, a dog, a job, chores, school permission slips, and everything else weeknight life throws at me. My goal is to settle into the kitchen flow and I find that hard to do when trying to follow a new or complex recipe.

We’ve talked on this blog about my ramen formula, the ever versatile Thai turkey salad, egg roll bowls, and the kids favorite sushi bowls. But probably my two most frequent go-to dinners are black beans and rice and weeknight dahl with roasted veg. These two make it onto our table almost every week. They’re easy and yet so nutritious and delicious. And they use a few simple methods that really elevate dinner:

• Roasting at high heat
• Blooming whole spices in oil
• An irresistible combo of something spicy and roasted with something creamy and fresh

So today, let’s dive into my weeknight dahl!

First, the obvious, I am not Indian, and there are so many amazing and more authentic resources for Indian cooking out there, please go find them. I love Indian food and have since I discovered it in college at a local place near the University of Oregon campus. I find the deeply warming food and spices perhaps the most comforting cuisine on the planet. I’ve learned so much from Madhur Jaffrey, but also from YouTube videos, episodes of Anthony Bourdain, and many books I’ve read over the years.

This post is not meant to teach you authentic dahl or tarka. It’s simply to share how I bring these lovely, comforting flavors onto my table on a busy Wednesday night in one hour.

Here are the ingredients I used last night:

My Formula

When I make dahl, I like to cook it with bone broth to up the protein, and I like to serve it with a delicious crispy spiced roasted veggie or two alongside a sweet-tangy yogurt sauce.

That’s the formula: Dahl with a tarka + roasted veg + yogurt sauce

The brilliance of this dinner is that it’s mostly vegetarian (and would be fully vegetarian if you skip the bone broth) and it can use whatever you have. 

• Experiment with different types of dahl. Sometimes I use toor dahl, mung bean, or split mung bean. Try different ones! Note: some need to soak.
• Switch up the tarka. Use red onion or shallot. Try adding some urad dahl. Try different chilies. Experiment with different spices in  your pantry.
• Roast whatever veggies you have. This week we did a combo of potato and Brussels sprouts with some mushrooms. I often make cabbage or broccoli. Zucchini is great, as is winter squash.
• The Magic Is In The Yogurt Sauce. You can get pickled mango at your Asian grocery. That’s my favorite. You can also do mango chutney mixed in yogurt with some fresh chili and cilantro, in which case you’d skip the honey. The goal here is sour and sweet and cool and creamy.
• A Bonus When You Have Extra Produce. If you’ve got cucumbers and tomatoes hanging around (as I did this week), throw together a simple cucumber-tomato salad, sliced cucumber, chopped tomato, olive oil, salt, pepper. That’s it. The cool, fresh crunch is a beautiful counterpoint to the warm, spiced dahl. Totally optional and also so lovely.

Weeknight Dahl with Tarka, Roasted Veg and Yogurt Sauce

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Servings: 6

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the Dahl

• 1 cup red lentils rinsed
• 1 large white onion — half diced half thinly sliced (reserve sliced half for tarka)
• 2 tsp cumin seeds divided
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2-3 cups chicken bone broth or veg broth
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbsp ghee
• Salt to taste

For the Tarka

• 3 Tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds yellow or black — both work
• Optional: 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 dried chilies
• 1 sprig fresh curry leaves
• 1 sliced serrano
• Reserved sliced onion
• Pinch asafoetida hing

For the Roasted Veg

• Slice potatoes sweet potatoes, or whatever veg you have. Toss with olive oil and:
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Chaat masala to taste I use ~1 Tbsp; start with 2 tsp if it’s new
• Salt to taste

Yogurt Sauce

• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbsp chopped pickled mango
• 1 tsp honey

Method

 

For the Dahl

1. Melt ghee, sauté diced onion + 1 tsp cumin seeds until starting to caramelize. Add ginger, cook 1 min. Add lentils + salt + 2 cups broth. Boil, reduce to simmer, stir in turmeric. After ~10 min, add tomatoes + more broth as needed. Cook until lentils are tender and saucy (not pasty). Stir in cilantro before serving.

For the Tarka

1. The tarka is a “use what you’ve got” moment, feel free to swap or add whole spices and aromatics as the mood strikes.
2. Heat ghee, add cumin + mustard seeds. Once popping, add dried chilies, sliced onion, curry leaves, serrano. Stir. Add asafoetida. Cook on medium, stirring frequently, until everything is caramelized and crispy. Spoon over the dahl just before serving.

For the Veg

1. Roast or air-fry at high heat (425) until crispy. Throw a green veg (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts) on the same sheet pan to round it out.

Yogurt Sauce

1. Mix. Adjust to taste. Serve alongside the roasted veg.
2. Variation: Mango chutney + yogurt + fresh chili + cilantro (skip the honey).