Today, we’re going to talk about Daal Paneer – The Real Deal, and how you can get your authentic daal on. Spicy doings, Maynards and Maynardettes. A member of one of the foodie groups I belong to requested this recipe. Rather than struggle with the small-screen antics of the group’s format, I decided to send the recipe as a blog post. Okay, without further ado, let’s get to it.
Daal is a staple of Indian cuisine. The traditional version of this spicy lentil soup does not contain paneer cheese. However, in working with many versions of daal, this is my favorite. Adding cubes of paneer to the daal base brings texture to the dish as well as a protein boost. Served with naan or pita bread, my version of daal is a complete meal.
Finding the Ingredients…
One of the best parts of this recipe is finding the ingredients. Forget Whole Paycheck. You need the real McCoy fixings to make this dish work. So, you’re going on an expedition to your local Indian store. Almost every town has one, and it’s high time you discover the joys of a spice-filled, family-run emporium. First off, you will need ghee, the clarified butter that is the basis of many Indian dishes. Ghee gives the daal the buttery taste behind the spice. Buy a jar of it and keep it in the fridge. It lasts practically forever. Next, get a good daal spice mix. I use Shan Daal Masala. You can make your own masala from scratch, but a good mix is what most folks use. There are tons of different spices involved, so the mix makes life easier. You will also need at least 250 grams (about 9 ounces) of YELLOW lentils. Get them at the Indian store!
More Fixings…
The other specialty items needed for this great daal include curry leaves and kafir lime leaves or dried lime leaves. Don’t try using bay leaves or some other lame substitute. We’re going for the real deal, right? Grab a few fresh green chilies from the produce bin. Last, but not least, get a block of paneer cheese. Oh, and if it’s a really good Indian store, grab some fresh naan. Pita bread works as an alternative.
And On With the Show…
Buy as much other cool stuff as you can find. Rice by the kilo, exotic spices, whatever strikes your fancy. Oh, I almost forgot! Grab a little bag of garam marsala before you go. It makes a great garnish. Thank the nice man behind the counter, and scuttle on home to your kitchen. Now, let’s get to cooking.
Here’s what you’re going to need besides the special ingredients:
One large sweet onion. Fresh garlic. One can of chopped plum tomatoes.
Throw about three tablespoons of ghee into a big soup pot, the heavier the better. A Dutch oven will work a treat. Chop the onion as the ghee melts. Sauté the onion slowly, stirring often, until the onion has softened nicely WITHOUT browning. I usually cover the pot to combine steam and heat. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Slow is better.
While the onion is simmering, chop three cloves of fresh garlic. Split and seed at least one green chili. The amount of chili you use is up to you. Chilies vary in heat depending on the season, luck, and the whim of the chili gods. Go hot, go medium, but you need the chili flavor. If your tolerance is low, start with Anaheim chilies, which tend to be milder. The green Indian chilies pack a wallop, so use common sense. Or not. And remember to wash your hands thoroughly before you touch your eyes or any sensitive meaty bits.
When the onion is ready, add about 2 tablespoons of Daal Masala mix (or as your package directs) and the chopped garlic. Let that cook for a few minutes while you wash the lentils. Always wash your lentils! Add 230 grams (two cups) of lentils to the mix. Stir this in and let it cook for a minute or so. Then add 1.4 liters of water (six cups). Bring the mixture to a good simmer and let it go for at least 30 minutes. This will ensure that your lentils are tender before you add the tomato bits.
Now, onto our special leaves. Shake six or eight kafir lime leaves onto a clean cutting board. These little buggers are a pain in the butt, but the flavor is worth it. I usually break each half of the leaf away from the stem and then discard the stem. Alternatively, you can use a sharp paring knife to cut the stem away. Then take the leaf halves and crumple them with your fingers. You can chop them with a knife, but the bits fly everywhere. Whatever works best for you. Once the leaves are crumbled and/or chopped fairly fine, toss them into the pot and stir them in.
Thirty minutes later, we’ve got a nice pot of tender lentils. Now we add the tomatoes, stir, and continue to simmer. Next up is the paneer cheese. Take 200 grams of paneer (about 7 ounces or so) and begin cubing it. You want cubes about 1 centimeter on a side (less than 1/2 inch). A thin boning knife works best for this job, but use what you have. Once the paneer is cubed, add it to the pot.
W00T! Smelling Good Now!
Last up are our curry leaves. Place 6-8 leaves on a clean cutting board and repeat the prep as you did for the kafir lime leaves. Heat two tablespoons of ghee (two blobs, whatever) in a small sauté pan. Once the ghee is hot, add the curry leaves and sauté for about two minutes. Pour this mixture, ghee and all, into the daal pot. Stir that puppy! Let simmer gently for an additional 20 minutes or more. The daal is going to thicken, so don’t forget to stir often!
Grab the Side Dishes!
Daal Paneer goes great with naan bread, pita bread, or good-quality basmati rice. Your choice. Whichever you choose, now is the time to get it ready. If rice is your preference, get it started anywhere in the process above. As an alternative, let the daal simmer while the rice cooks. Longer and slower is better and won’t do any harm. If you’re going with naan or pita, heat the oven to around 100 C. or about 210 Fahrenheit. Throw the naan or pita directly on an oven rack and warm them up. Wrapping them in a clean dishtowel will hold in moisture. Remember, we’re just warming the bread. Don’t burn down the kitchen!
Garnish and Serve!
Ladle the Daal Paneer into soup plates. I add a small dollop of sour cream (or Crème Fraîche) across the top of each serving, then cross it with a sprinkle of garam marsala (see photo above). That’s it, Friends and Neighbors! I hope you dig it as much as I do.
Stay in Touch!
There’s lots more on offer at the MEF blog. New short stories breaking every month, more recipes, and other silliness. So, how will you know when a new story breaks? Glad you asked, Friends. Read On! Drum roll and… Meanwhile, don’t miss any upcoming stories. You can catch all the latest by following the MEF blog:
And finally, with your indulgence, allow me a blatant book plug. I’ve got flights to buy and places to go…
Breaking the Bundles
The Past Can Kill.
Vienna, Austria, a city of palaces, music, and cafés. But behind the cold, grey stone lies a dark secret. Against this backdrop of culture and shadows, the fates of three unforgettable people will be drawn into a common peril. As the lives of the characters cross, revenge shifts to passion, betrayal becomes an act of honor, and the past exacts a heavy toll from the present. The secrets of the past threaten the lives of those that hold them; the same secrets threaten the men who work in the shadows. The weight of the past will pursue Perry and Zita across two continents, threatening their love and their lives. The chase becomes a conflict of revenge and desire, of shadow and light, of love and the struggle to survive.
Vienna, Austria, a city of palaces, music, and cafés. But behind the cold, grey stone lies a dark secret. Against this backdrop of culture and shadows, the fates of three unforgettable people will be drawn into a common peril. Perry Farmon is an American photographer on sabbatical in Vienna, searching for his lost creative spark. A strange friendship and a mysterious love alter Perry’s quiet world, drawing him into a shared secret. The powers threatened by that secret force Perry into a deadly flight from danger. He must learn trickery and cunning to survive. His life and love hang in the balance. Zita de Luca is a woman marked by a wine-colored stain on her temple, the shame of her family, and anger. An opportunity for revenge is complicated by an unexpected passion for an American professor. She must choose between the two. Käru “Charlie” Villiger is a habitué of cafés, either an outrageous liar or a dangerous man. He holds the key to the past, but time is running out. Charlie must pass on what he holds before he is silenced by those he has betrayed. He must choose someone else to carry the burden. As the lives of the characters cross, revenge shifts to passion, betrayal becomes an act of honor, and the past exacts a heavy toll from the present. The secrets of the past threaten the lives of those that hold them; the same secrets threaten the men who work in the shadows. The weight of the past will pursue Perry and Zita across two continents, threatening their love and their lives. The chase becomes a conflict of revenge and desire, of shadow and light, of love and the struggle to survive.
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Marco Etheridge is a writer of prose, an occasional playwright, and a part-time poet. He lives and writes in Vienna, Austria. His work has been featured in over one hundred reviews and journals across Canada, Australia, the UK, and the USA. His story “Power Tools” has been nominated for Best of the Web for 2023. “Power Tools” is Marco’s latest collection of short fiction. When he isn’t crafting stories, Marco is a contributing editor for a new ‘Zine called Hotch Potch. In his other life, Marco travels the world with his lovely wife Sabine. Website: https://www.marcoetheridgefiction.com/