101
11 /^2 cups dried urad dal (black
lentils) or black-eyed peas
(^1) / 2 cup dried kidney beans
6 cups water, divided
1 Tbsp. plus 1^3 /^4 tsp. kosher salt,
divided
2 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter,
plus more if needed
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 to 3 cloves
2 to 3 green cardamom pods
1 black cardamom pod (optional)
11 / 2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
(grated on a Microplane)
11 / 2 tsp. grated garlic (grated on a
Microplane)
11 / 2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
2 serrano chiles, finely chopped
1 tsp. Kashmiri chile powder
(^1) / 4 tsp. ground turmeric
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 (1^1 / 2 -lb.) bunch collard greens,
stemmed, blanched, and
chopped (about 3^1 / 2 cups)
(^1) / 2 cup half-and-half
(^1) / 2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. fenugreek leaves (optional)
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 cup thinly sliced or shaved
country ham (such as Benton’s)
(about 2 oz.)
Cilantro sprigs
- Combine lentils and kidney beans in
a large saucepan; add water to cover
by 3 inches, and let soak 8 hours or
overnight. Drain and add 5 cups water
and 1 tablespoon salt to beans in pan.
Bring to a boil over medium-high; cook,
stirring occasionally, until lentils and
beans are tender but not mushy, about
45 minutes. Drain, reserving cooking
liquid. Set aside. - Heat ghee in a large Dutch oven over
medium. Add cumin seeds, pepper-
corns, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves,
green cardamom pods, and black car-
damom pod, if using. Cook, stirring
constantly, until spices begin to sizzle,
about 30 seconds. Stir in ginger and
garlic, and cook, stirring constantly,
until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Add onion, chiles, and^1 / 4 teaspoon salt.
Cook, stirring often, until onion is
browned, about 7 minutes. (If needed,
add a teaspoon or so more ghee.) Stir
in chile powder and turmeric; cook,
stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add
crushed tomatoes, and cook, stirring
often, until tomatoes are slightly thick-
ened and glossy, about 12 minutes.- Stir drained lentil mixture into
tomato mixture, crushing lentils and
beans slightly with a ladle. Add 2 cups
reserved cooking liquid, blanched col-
lards, half-and-half, garam masala,
remaining 1 cup water, and fenugreek
leaves, if using, and bring to a simmer
over medium. Reduce heat to medium-
low, and simmer, stirring occasionally,
15 minutes. Season with remaining 1^1 / 2
teaspoons salt. (If dal is too thick, thin
with an additional^1 / 2 cup water.) To
serve, drizzle with cream, sprinkle with
ham, and garnish with cilantro. Serve
with naan or paratha. —MEHERWAN
IRANI, CHAI PANI, ASHEVILLE, NORTH
CAROLINA
Johnnycakes with Spiced
Cane Syrup
PHOTO P. 84
ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 25 MIN
SERVES 10Riding the line between sweet and
savory, these cornmeal cakes are great
for breakfast doused with a generous
splash of this sweet and spicy cane
syrup.SPICED CANE SYRUP
(^1) / 2 Tbsp. green cardamom pods
(about 13 pods), cracked
1 tsp. cumin seeds, coarsely
ground
(^1) / 2 tsp. crushed red pepper
(^1) / (^2) cup cane syrup
JOHNNYCAKES
1 cup self-rising flour (about 4 oz.)
1 cup self-rising yellow cornmeal
mix (about 6^1 / 8 oz.)
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs
11 / 4 cups whole buttermilk
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
(about 3 Tbsp.)
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-
leaf parsley
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh
cilantro
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger,
peeled and finely chopped
(about 2 tsp.)
2 cups canola oil