Chickpea and Bean Dahl - PUBLISHED

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/three-bean-dal

1 - This worked out wonderfully the first go. There must be a reason why split peas are not more popular, but I just can't imagine why. It's been challenging, but I've managed to find a few recipe that require them, and all of them are delicious. I served it with my ubiquitous (in this house) cumin rice, and Ben really liked it, and so did I, but I did feel it was a bit heavy and would benefit in having a vegetable dish to accompany it.

2 - I hadn't made this in a while and I sure got a shock! I had instructions to drain the split peas once they were cooked, but it was just a three-word sentence tacked at the end of the second paragraph. I missed it. And I drained the whole thing in with the cooked spices. And now I have to try and reduce 6 cups of water away! Argh!

3 - How can I cook the peas so that I don't lose any of them but that I have them breaking apart to become the sauce? I think it's re-thinking the recipe a bit.

4 - Yup, cooking the peas until they start to break apart is better. And when it's fresh out of the pot, it's pretty spicy. Once it sat around and was eaten as leftovers, the spiciness decreased and was very good.

1 cup yellow split peas (7 oz)

Salt, to taste

3 Tbsps. mild oil

2 Tbsps. fresh ginger, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves, grated (10-12g)

½ tsp red pepper flakes or 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 small tomato (3oz), chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

¾ cup cream (your choice, half and half, table cream or whipping cream)

2 Tbsps. (1oz/28gr) butter

½ cup water

4.5oz dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked or one 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4.5oz dried beans, soaked and cooked or one 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper, to taste (start with 1tsp salt and 1é4 tsp pepper, to taste?)

1. Ideally, soak the split peas for at least an hour before boiling them.
2. If using dry beans, cook in a pot separate from the peas.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring plenty of water to a boil. Add the split peas and a generous pinch of salt and boil about 50 minutes. 
4. When the peas are well cooked and just starting to break down, drain well and set aside with the other cooked beans.
5. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. 
6. Add the ginger, garlic, jalapeño, cumin and cayenne and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 6 minutes. 
7. Add the tomato and tomato paste and cook until the tomato is slightly broken down, about 5 minutes. 
8. Add the cream, butter and water and bring to a boil. 
9. Stir in the cooked yellow split peas, chickpeas and beans and season with salt. 
10. Simmer, covered, over low heat until thickened, about 15 minutes. Cook longer if it seems too liquid or if the peas have not broken down into a sauce.