Indian Yellow Dal

I”m in the middle of a massive fridge, freezer and pantry clean-out, which means that all of my dried beans and legumes have got to go before I even think about putting in another order from Rancho Gordo or visiting the bulk bins at the local health food stores.

While a lot of beans have risen in popularity over the past decade or so (I definitely remember thinking that beans were really uncool as a kid, although I don’t know where I got that idea), I’m not sure if any of that popularity has extended to yellow split peas.  Even Safeway, the only supermarket that carried them out here, stopped selling them a few months back.

And that, my friends, is kind of a travesty.  After going overboard with lentils a couple years back, yellow split peas have become my pulse of choice.  They’re great because, like lentils, they don’t require super-lengthy cooking times or overnight soaks.  And with their happy and vibrant hue, they’re like  a warming bowl of sunshine.

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Indian Asparagus with Shredded Coconut

I don’t know about you, but my Instagram feed and feed reader are clogged with photos of ramps and ramp recipes, respectively.   Unfortunately I’m going to have to miss out on the fun yet again since I’ve never seen a ramp at a farmer’s market or grocery store out in Honolulu.

Bummers.

I guess I’ll just have to drown my sorrows with excessive amounts of rhubarb and asparagus.

These days it’s rare that I leave a grocery store without 2-3 large bunches of asparagus.  Although I love basic grilled or roasted asparagus as much as the next girl, I’ve been trying to branch out and use it in other recipes as well.

Although the cold weather crop isn’t a vegetable that I normally associate with Indian cuisine, asparagus makes one heck of a side when paired with shredded coconut and Indian spices.

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Curried Tuna Salad

Even though we’ve got pretty great weather year-round here in Honolulu, I’m certainly not immune to a little spring fever.  The longer, warmer days mean even more frequent trips to the beach and, more importantly, more frequent beach picnics.

While I’d love to be the kind of person who can put together a magazine shoot-worthy picnic set atop a chic table in a bag, more often than not, my picnics consist of  several friends huddling around a cooler, passing around Pyrex containers of food.  While I may fall short when it comes to providing ambiance, I’d like to think I can put together a mean assortment of food.  And this curried tuna salad?  I can assure you that it’ll probably be in just about every cooler I pack this summer.

In this quick and easy dish, canned tuna is combined with sauteed onions, garlic, ginger and a hefty dose of curry powder while some sliced Serrano chile pepper provide a bit of heat .  I’d happily eat this stuff plain with a fork, with crackers or in a sandwich.  Hot, warm or cold.  With mayo or without.   Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong here.

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Meatball Curry with Green Coconut Cilantro Sauce

They say that some folks are predisposed to dislike cilantro (even Julia Child hated it!).  I am so, so glad that I’m not afflicted.  It’s far too important an ingredient in so many of my favorite foods.   I mean, what other herb would I put in Pico de Gallo?  How would I garnish tacos? Would I have to pick out the cilantro from summer rolls?  A world without cilantro?  It sounds like a scary place.

While I most often use cilantro as a final pop of freshness , color and flavor to many dishes, here the cilantro is the primary flavor and star of the show.   Cilantro, one and a half cups of it to be exact, combines with Indian spices and coconut milk for a rich and creamy curry sauce with extra herb-y goodness.

It seems like I’m pretty much all about meatballs and/or sliders these days (see here, here and here) and I’m happy to continue the streak with this curry.  Consider this dish the meat equivalent to the Mexican green cilantro rice I made a couple years  back (has it really been that long?).

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