At long last

I love Indian food. I like almost every item on the menu at Indian restaurants, except for anything with paneer. I have little problem with american cottage cheese--I have a big problem with Indian cottage cheese. But one of my very, very favorite dishes is Dal Makhani.

When we had our court trial a few years ago with the city/county/developer (the short story is they sued us, we countersued them, they all sued each other and they all got their butts kicked), I spent 2 weeks downtown at the courthouse, and I had an hour and a half each day to cruise for lunch. I discovered an Indian food trailer in a parking lot where there are lots and lots of different ehtnic food trailers a few blocks from the courthouse. I ordered dal makhani one day, and I was absolutely in heaven. It looks totally disgusting, but it is so satisfying. I had not ever had such an excellent version.

I have been trying for years to re-create such happiness in my kitchen. Each time I have tried or tweaked a different recipe, the results were lackluster. OK, but not great.

Until now. I found a recipe online called "Butter Chickpea Curry." I made it one night about a month ago, and discovered that the creamy, yummy sauce was exactly what I had been needing for my dal. Last night I made the recipe, but substituted whole urad dal in place of the garabanzo beans, and the results were breathtaking. Seriously, my mouth is watering thinking of the leftovers I will have for lunch today. Our kids love this stuff, too.

If only I had a tandoori oven I would cook some chicken and try tandoori chicken in this, too.

Dal (or garbanzo bean) Makhani

8 medium potatoes, cubed

1/4 cup canola oil

2 medium yellow onions, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon garam masala

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons salt

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup

1 cup cream or milk

2 (12 ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

OR

1 1/2 cups dry whole urad dal (black lentils) cooked (I used a pressure cooker for 15 minutes)

Directions:Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat; simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain, and set aside.

Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in curry powder, garam masala, ginger, cumin, and salt. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring. Pour in soup, cream, and chickpeas or dal. Stir in potatoes. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro if desired.