SUMAC

This recipe makes enough daal for 4 servings 

Ingredients:

-¾ pound of beef (or goat) bones and stew meat 

-1/2 cup of split pigeon peas (toor daal) 

-1/4 cup of red split lentils (masoor daal) 

-¼ cup of split moong beans with no skin 

-1/8 of split chickpeas with no skin 

-1 teaspoon of garlic paste 

-1 teaspoon of ginger paste 

-2 green chilis (grind w/ cilantro) 

-6-8 sprigs of cilantro (grind w/ chilis) 

-1 tablespoon of cumin and coriander powder mix 

-salt to taste 

-¼ teaspoon of turmeric 

-red chili to taste 

-3 tablespoons of crushed tomatoes, or 2 diced fresh tomatoes 

-3 tablespoons of storebought fried onions, or 1 large fried onion if made at home -oil to cover the base of your pot 

-cumin seeds to sautee 

-4 to 5 peppercorns 

-½ teaspoon of garam masala 

Instructions:

This recipe gives instructions for a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot 

1. Turn on Instant Pot to sautee setting/turn on pressure cooker 

2. Fill the base of the pot with oil, place cumin seeds and peppercorns 

3. Place cubed meat with bones into pot 

4. Let this sautee for a minute 

5. Add the tomatoes, garlic paste, and ginger paste 

6. Add in all the dry ingredients (MINUS THE LENTILS, MOONG BEANS, AND CHICKPEAS) 

7. Sautee until you see oil rise away from the mixture 

8. Add in the lentils, moong beans, and chickpeas 

a. Make sure they have all been rinsed 2-3 times before cooking, and mixed together thoroughly 

9. Add 24-30 ounces of water 

10. Close the Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

11. The Instant Pot will go on the meat setting for 10 minutes, while the pressure cooker will go on medium heat for 15 minutes 

12. Turn off the cooking vessel 

13. Wait until the pressure subsides 

14. Open the cooking vessel 

15. Remove meat and bones and place them into a bowl 

16. Blend the mixture together till there are no visible pieces of daal/lentils 17. Add the meat back in 

18. Simmer on medium/low for 15 minutes 

19. Garnish with fresh chopped onions, a dash of lime/lemon, and some cilantro 20. Now ready to enjoy with fresh basmati rice, naan, or french bread 

Reflection:

Sitting on a perch in the back of my mind is a textured white glass bowl, a plastic Ikea spoon teetering precariously on its edge. A dollop of milky white yogurt sits atop a bed of fluffy white rice, which is in turn topped with the dish’s crowning jewel- the Daal, a South Asian spiced lentil curry, sometimes served with lamb. It’s a dish that has filled my palate and my heart for as long as I can remember, yet no human alive has eaten it since 2014, since my grandmother is no longer with us to put just the right amounts of turmeric and garlic to bestow its orange color. I still, however, find myself inspired by the dish. Each experience I have and each connection I make are all their own bowls of Daal. After all, the world grows more harmonious when we listen, learn, remember, and savor.