if at first you don't succeed, chai, chai again...

I've had a hankering for Indian food recently. Not your everyday, superficial, tip of the tongue need for something salty or sweet, but a deep down, pit of the stomach sort of desire. I wanted the spice, the tang, the layers of flavor that somehow remain distinct in channa masala or saag.

Indian food is something P and I have always found difficult to recreate in the kitchen. We can make pretty satisfying curries or dal, but they always seem to lack the depth you find in a restaurant. Still, we had recently discovered a dal recipe from the spice shop we visited in Montreal (found here) and decided to throw caution to the wind, feeding my hankering with a home-cooked meal.

The dal needed an accompaniment, so I rooted through the only Indian cookbook we have (not a standout - this is clearly one of the areas in which our cookbooks are lacking) and found a recipe for aloo gobi, or stewed potatoes and cauliflower. Then, we rounded out the meal with a little homemade chai (recipe below) and naan.

Flushed with the success of my bread last weekend, I decided to start the year off right and outdo my own resolutions. I set out to make bread every two weeks? Seriously, that was a weak promise. In competition with myself, as I typically am, I decided to win at my own game. However, as the middle finger on my left hand had been injured earlier that day in a freak trunk-of-the-car accident, it was up to P to do the kneading. I supervised closely and must say I was pleased with his technique (Let's face it, the man can whip up a souffle from a pile of sand. He's like a modern-day king Midas - turning everything he touches into butter), but the end result was not quite up to par. This was probably due to the fact that I opened the oven after 5-7 minutes (when the cookbook indicated the bread should be finished), noted that it looked uncooked, and popped it right back in for another five. It was tasty, but more cracker-like than naan. Next time, I suppose I might follow the recipe and see where that gets me.

Luckily, the rest of the meal was everything I had hoped for. The aloo gobi was incredibly tangy, with a mustard bite; the chai a perfect sweet and warming complement to the spicy food. Even the naan had a great flavor and played its part well as utensil/shovel. The highlight, though, was the dal. The recipe calls for three different spice blends, to be added at different points throughout the cooking process. Toss in turmeric and bay leaf to start; cook for awhile, then add fenugreek, hot pepper, asafoetida (the resin of a middle eastern root that smells like it sounds, but gains a mellow onion-y flavor when cooked in butter) and ginger; cook a little longer, then throw in cumin, garlic, mustard seeds, and cayenne to finish.

Therein reside the secrets that catapulted this meal worlds beyond any other Indian meal we've made: more cooking, more spices, better timing. Every flavor of the dal was delicately melded together, while remaining discernible. A taste began with the bite of garlic and cayenne, eased into flavors of onion and fenugreek, and echoed with the herbal notes of the bay leaf.

I was indeed satiated.
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Easy Chai:

1 cup water
1 cup milk (we use soymilk - I like the nutty flavor)
3 tsp. black tea, such as Assam or Darjeeling (or a mixture)
3 peppercorns
3 cardamom pods, bashed
2 cloves

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring occasionally and increasing the frequency of stirring as it gets closer to boiling. Let the liquid foam up a few times - the foam is delightful. Take off the heat and strain into a bowl or, if you trust your aim, directly into two small mugs. Stir in a big spoonful of honey (or a smaller spoonful of sugar) and you're done!

This recipe is a little milder than what we normally make, but it's a good jumping off point for experimentation. I like to make it with a little more pepper; you may prefer a stronger tea flavor, or more cardamom. Also, feel free to expand the recipe - sometimes we make 1 1/2 or two times as much and have it in a pot; other times we just want a taste and the smallish mugs work out fine.