Hazrams Soupy Pigeon Peas Recipes

PIGEON PEAS AND RICE

Steps:

• Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil and bacon. Cook, stirring, until the bacon is crispy and golden and the fat has rendered, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, green peppers, red peppers, rice and salt; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and the rice is lightly toasted. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Add the oregano, cumin, pigeon peas, tomatoes, chicken stock and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook until the rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Garnish with cilantro and scallions.

TOOR DAL (SPLIT YELLOW PIGEON PEAS)

Steps:

• Prepare the dal: Soak the pigeon peas in a large bowl of warm water for about 1 hour. (They will have swelled a little.) Thoroughly rinse the soaked pigeon peas with fresh water, then tip the drained pigeon peas into a pot.
• Add tomatoes, turmeric, salt and 5 cups water, and bring to a boil over high. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Use an immersion blender to purée some of the dal, leaving some intact and getting some very smooth, or whisk vigorously to break up some of the soft dal. Stir in the peanuts and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the dal is very tender, about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt. If the dal has become too thick for your liking, stir in a splash of water.
• Prepare the tempering: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the ghee. When hot, carefully add all of the tempering ingredients (the mustard seeds will sputter!) and swirl the pan until you can smell all the toasted spices, about 30 seconds. Pour everything over the hot dal.

PIGEON PEAS WITH MANGO

Steps:

• Place the pigeon peas in a medium, heavy saucepan. Cover with 1 inch of water, and roll around the peas. The water will cloud. Drain through a strainer, and return to the pot. Repeat several times until the water is no longer very cloudy when you cover the peas. Drain and return to the pot, then add 3 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off and discard any foam. Stir the peas, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring from time to time, for 10 minutes. The peas will be partly tender.
• Add the mango, the garam masala or the cayenne, salt, turmeric, curry leaves and 1 cup water. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat again to medium-low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the peas are tender and falling apart.
• While the peas are simmering, heat the ghee or oil in a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds. When they begin to sizzle, turn a reddish brown and smell nutty, remove from the heat. Add the cilantro, and stir until the sizzling stops.
• When the pigeon peas and mango are very tender, remove the curry leaves and mash the mixture with the back of your spoon. Scrape in the seasoned ghee or oil, and stir together. Cover and simmer five minutes until the flavors are nicely blended. Taste, adjust salt and serve.

PIGEON-PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Simmer peas, ham, water, and broth in a 4-quart heavy pot, uncovered, 30 minutes. Make sofrito while peas simmer: Cook jalapeño, bell pepper, ají dulce chiles, onion, and garlic in oil in a skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add cilantro, tomato, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Season sofrito with salt and pepper.
• Simmer and season stew:
• Stir sofrito and squash into pea mixture and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and liquid is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Mash garlic clove and cilantro to a paste with a mortar and pestle, then season with salt and pepper and add to stew. Grate plantain on large holes of a grater directly into stew and season stew with salt and pepper.

PIGEON PEAS AND RICE (ANGUILLA)

Steps:

• Soak the peas overnight (alternately, you can boil them on the stove for about two hours).
• Drain and rinse the peas.
• If using corned beef, add it to the pot with just enough water to cover, and boil until the meat is done.
• There should be about two cups of water in the pot for the next step, so if you are making this with corned beef you'll need to drain the liquid, reserve and measure it, then add enough water for a total of two cups. If you're making it without the beef just add two cups of fresh water to the beans, then bring to a boil.
• Add the rice, lime juice, thyme, hot sauce and butter, then cover and reduce heat.
• Simmer until the liquid is absorbed (for about 20 minutes).
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

PIGEON PEA PASTE (AKA ARHAR DAL OR TOOVAR DAL)

Steps:

• Pick over the peas and wash them well. Drain. Soak the peas overnight in water to cover by 5 inches. Drain, discard soaking liquid.
• PRESSURE COOKER METHOD:.
• Put the drained peas in a pressure cooker and cover with water by 1/2 inch. Add a few drops of cooking oil to prevent foaming. Put the lid on and bring up to pressure. Cook for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to drop by itself.
• NON-PRESSURE COOK METHOD:.
• Put the drained peas in a medium pan along with water to cover them by 2 inches and bring it to a boil. Cover partially, turn the heat down to low, and simmer gently until the beans are tender, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours.

SOUPY SPLIT PIGEON PEAS WITH JAGGERY

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the masala, then place the dal, water, and curry leaves in a pressure cooker. Secure the lid and cook over high heat until the regulator indicated high pressure, then cook 30 seconds more. Remove from the heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully open the lid. Let cool, then blend in the pot with a hand-held immersion mixer or transfer to a blender and purée, then return it to the pressure cooker.2. In a small bowl, combine the curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the mixture and add the rest to the processed dal. Mix in the lime juice and jaggery.3. To make the tarka, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mustard, cumin, and fenugreek seeds they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the reserved 1 teaspoon curry powder mixture and the asafoetida. Immediately add the tarka to the dal and mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl, mix in the cilantro, and serve.From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

HAZRAM'S SOUPY PIGEON PEAS

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the tamarind paste and the sambar powder. Then place the dal and water in a pressure cooker, secure the lid, and cook over high heat until the regulator indicated high pressure, then cook 30 seconds more. Remove from the heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully open the lid and stir vigorously to mash the dal. Keep over low heat while you proceed with the next step.2. In a small bowl, combine the mustard seeds, asafoetida, green chili peppers, and curry leaves. In another bowl combine the coriander, sambar powder, fenugreek leaves, turmeric, and salt.3. Heat the oil in a large, nonstick wok or saucepan over moderate heat and cook the red chili peppers and onion until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the mustard seeds-curry leaves mixture and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the tomato and cook until all the juices evaporate, about 2 minutes.4. Add the coriander-sambar powder mixture, stir about a minute, then add the tamarind paste and cook about 3 minutes. Mix in the dal and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro, and simmer about 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a bowl and serve.From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.