Indian Greens and Beans

Prep: takes time and effort but so so so good

Time: only a few minutes to prep, but it takes a while to cook/simmer

Taste: LOVE IT

From: "greens" modified (a lot) from harighotra.co.uk, "beans" inspired by my friend Dan

Note: I have absolutely no idea if this is "real" Indian-food-tasting or not, but man it is good! Different, but delectable.

Indian Kale

Note: read through the recipe first, prep the ingredients, and then begin!

In a medium soup pot, drop a teaspoon of butter (I used vegan- and really, just a teaspoon! You don't need much at all!)

When bubbly, add:

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed (not ground)

1 teaspoon cumin seed (not ground)

Stir. When they start popping (it shouldn't take long!), add:

1 small onion, chopped (or 1/2 a large onion)

2 cloves garlic, minced

about 15 cherry tomatoes, diced (or equivalent with bigger tomatoes)

Stir until onions are mostly browned. Add:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup of water

Stir together. Lower to a simmer. Add half a head of kale, torn into pieces, stems removed. Let stir as well as you can (it will be bulky), and let simmer 10 minutes. Add the rest of the kale, mix, and simmer another 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water, stir, and keep simmering, adding 1/4 cups of water one or two more times. Honestly the more it simmers, the better it tastes! Try for 30 minutes at least.

Yellow Split Peas

To a medium soup pot, add a drop of butter (again, I use vegan). When warm, add:

1 small onion diced (or half a large)

2 cloves of garlic, mined

Stir a few minutes until slightly brown, then add:

1 cup yellow split peas

Stir, and then add 3 cups of water. Cover, reduce heat, and check/stir often. After 20-30 or so minutes, the water will be completely absorbed. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground mustard, and 3 more cups of water. Cover, counting to check/stir every 15 minutes or so until water is completely absorbed and you have a yellow looking porridge. Weird, yes. Delicious, yes. And yes, it takes a while- about an hour and a half on my stove. And yes, once I didn't check/stir often enough and the entire bottom burned to the pot and so I just transferred the top half of what was left into a new pot and eat going, and it was still amazingly tasty.