Alright, let me tell you about my little adventure trying to whip up some quick Indian meals the other day. I was slammed with work, you know how it is, but really had a craving for something comforting and spicy. Didn’t feel like ordering out again, and honestly, thought making Indian food always took ages.
Getting Started – What Did I Even Have?
First thing, I raided my pantry. Found some red lentils (masoor dal, I think they call it?), a couple of onions, garlic, ginger, and thankfully, my basic spice stash: turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, and some chili flakes. Didn’t have anything fancy, just the essentials. Also had some sad-looking spinach in the fridge that needed using up.
Okay, plan forming: quick dal and maybe something with that spinach.
Making the Dal
So, I rinsed the lentils under cold water until the water wasn’t super cloudy anymore. Didn’t take long. While they drained, I roughly chopped one onion, minced a couple of cloves of garlic, and grated a small piece of ginger. No need to be perfect, right? Quick and easy was the goal.
Got my trusty pot, added a splash of oil. Once it was hot, I tossed in the onion. Let it soften up a bit, maybe 3-4 minutes? Then threw in the garlic and ginger, stirred it around for like, 30 seconds until I could smell it.
Next, the spices went in: about a teaspoon each of turmeric, cumin, and coriander powder, plus a pinch of chili flakes. Stirred that for another 30 seconds. Gotta be quick so they don’t burn. Then, dumped in the rinsed lentils and about 3-4 cups of water. Gave it a good stir, brought it to a boil, then turned the heat down low, put a lid on kinda crooked, and just let it simmer away.
Honestly, the hardest part was waiting. It needed maybe 15-20 minutes? I checked it once or twice, gave it a stir. Added salt near the end. That’s it. Super simple dal, done.
Tackling the Spinach
While the dal was simmering, I dealt with the spinach. Washed it, roughly chopped it. In another pan, heated a tiny bit of oil, threw in some mustard seeds (found those hiding in the back!). Once they started popping, I added the chopped spinach, a pinch of turmeric, and salt. Stirred it around until it wilted down. Took like, 5 minutes, tops. Seriously.
The Result
So, in maybe less than 30 minutes total, I had a bowl of hot, comforting dal and a side of simple spinach. I just ate it like that, scooped up the dal with a spoon. Didn’t even bother with rice.
Was it the best Indian food ever? Probably not. Was it authentic down to the last molecule? Definitely not. But was it quick, easy, and did it satisfy that craving? Absolutely. Felt pretty good making it myself instead of clicking buttons on an app. Turns out, some Indian dishes can be super fast if you stick to the basics.