Our house has been nothing short of perfect. With the exception of one thing: there is something wrong with the drainage of the wastewater from the house. This was not an unknown problem. However, we still have to get it fixed. Old house, more problems. We fixed most of them, but since we hadn’t had a problem with the drain before, we thought is was over. We were wrong. Another thing to fix.

The week’s recipe is one that I chose because I wanted to have an Indian dish. I was craving some dal. I chose a recipe from Swathi’s Recipes for Chana Dal Pulau. I’ve never had dal and pulau wrapped up in the same recipe. Yes, it’s still beans and rice, but in many parts of the world, it’s so much more. Many people look at beans and rice like it’s the most boring thing in the world. If you’ve had Mujaddara or even red beans and rice, you know that isn’t the case. There is a ton of flavor already built in. Most Indian dishes do that. This recipe will require a few changes but not many. I think this will make a great meal to freeze.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I increased the servings from 2 to 5 to lower the calories
• I will be making this in an Instant Pot rather than on the stove top to delete the soaking time.
• I increased the amount of liquid to account for no soaking.
• I added a red bell pepper to increase the vitamin C.
• I increased the amount of chana dal to increase the protien.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Instant Pot Chana Pulau

Serves 5

• 1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice
• 3/4 cup split chana dal
• 3 cup water
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 serrano chili, minced
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 handful mint
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ star anise
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Wash chana dal. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil on saute mode in an Instant Pot and fry the cumin seeds, cardamom pods, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaf until they begin to crackle.
3. Add onions and bell pepper and fry until the onion is translucent. Next add ginger garlic.
4. Add carrots, minced serrano chili and mint, sauté for 2 minutes.
5. Add rice and dal. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the rice turns opaque.
6. Pour water salt and cover. Turn the setting to pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Allow for a natural release.
7. Remove the whole spices, except for cumin seed.
8. Sprinkle with lemon juice and cilantro, serve.