Curried Dal with Basmati-Raisin Pilaf

You already know we love incorporating world cuisine into our weekly repertoire, and last night's culinary journey was to India. We clipped a recipe for Curried Dal with Basmati-Raisin Pilaf out of the October 2008 issue of Cooking Light and have come *this close* to using it a number of times but could never commit. Last night we finally got an opportunity to prepare it, and with great results.

Dal is a vegetarian dish of lentils, and this particular recipe include instructions for fragrant basmati rice to accompany it. Because it's really two dishes, you might be intimidated by the army of ingredients it sports, but don't fret - this meal comes together astonishingly quickly.

This is a recipe where we absolutely recommend chopping and measuring everything out ahead of time, because the rice and dal are cooked simultaneously, and each for only 15 minutes. We started by taking out all of our ingredients, looking ahead in the recipe to see which items "went together", and measuring them together into small bowls representing each step.

The rice is easy to begin first, because all 8 of its component go into the saucepan together - water, rice, and aromatics and seasonings. If you're having trouble finding cardamom pods (those two little seeds laying at the right front corner of our cutting board in the picture), you can either omit them or substitute 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom. We bought our cardamom pods in the bulk section of our grocery store, because a bottle of them was marked at a mind-blowing $9.99! (About 20 of them in bulk were just 80 cents.)

While you wait for the rice to boil, heat the olive oil over medium high heat, then sautee the onions for 5 minutes. When the rice comes to a boil, stir it once, cover it, and reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes until it's nice and fluffy. You'll die when you smell this rice - it's so sweetly fragrant! The cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, and cardamom pods can be discarded, then remove the rice from the heat and keep warm.

Turning our attention back to the dal, when the onions have sauteed, the spices, ginger, and garlic are incorporated into the onion mixture for 30 seconds, then the water and all other ingredients (except the cilantro!) are added. That mixture is also brought to a boil, then covered and simmered over medium low for 15 minutes, after which the cilantro is stirred in. Then it's time for dinner!

We've noticed in our years of preparing Cooking Light dishes that their spiciness is often overstated. We were expecting a little more heat based on the incorporation of serrano chiles into the dal and were slightly disappointed this time. Sure, it was delicious, but we were hoping for a little more kick. So, to our Southern friends, who are always adding Tony's and Tabasco to everything, we recommend grabbing 2 or 3 of those chiles and going with gusto!

To recap:

• Buy your cardamom pods in bulk.
• Measure out everything ahead of time for a stress-free cooking experience.
• Turn up the heat!

Ham and Egg Fried Rice

In a world filled with uncertainty, one fact remains constant: Chinese food is delicious! Seriously, it's one of our favorites, and nothing livens up a ho-hum dinner repertoire like a dash of Eastern flare. That's why we're proud to show you a recipe we've already made several times over: Ham and Egg Fried Rice (Cooking Light, Sept 2008).

One of the things we love about this dish is how quickly it comes together. The prep time is minimal and can be done well ahead of time. For example, this Sunday we chopped up all of the vegetables and meat while watching football. Having everything ready would have allowed us to hop right into the kitchen after a Monday evening trip to the gym and whip together a healthy, balanced dinner in just 15 minutes.

"Would have" is the operative phrase, of course. You'll notice from the little red light on that rice cooker in our ingredient line-up that we didn't make the rice ahead of time. We absolutely could and should have, but then Walking Dead came on and we were too distracted by zombies to remember! (Does anyone out there watch that show? You should - it's wonderfully creepy!)

Nonetheless, with the help of our trusty rice cooker, the rice was ready in minutes. We popped it in the freezer and let it sit there for 10 minutes

while we washed up, and then it was show time.

Make no mistake, this is a recipe that keeps moving. Every one to two minutes there's something to do, but with everything measured and ready, your only charge is to stir and watch the clock. Veggies and meat go first on high heat, followed by rice and wet ingredients on medium to medium high (the exact setting may vary based on your range).

Once the liquids are incorporated, it's time to scramble your eggs. If your wok is non-stick, check your heat to make sure it's low enough that the eggs will set without sticking. Remember, you can always cook them longer if the heat's a bit low, but you'll be stuck scouring your pan after dinner if it's too high. With the eggs set, they and the green onions are gently stirred in and voila - dinner is served!

This recipe is a "YTK favorite" for a few reasons. The first is the rapidity with which you can feed the hungry masses. Fifteen minutes for dinner is, after all, practically unheard of! The second reason we love it is for its slump-busting potential - this is a mighty, meaty, low-fuss dish that brings lots of unique flavor to the table.

Lastly, although we followed the recipe to a tee this time, there's so much room for improvisation. If you've got spare, sturdy vegetables like bell peppers on hand, get to choppin'! Frozen peas? Why the heck not!? Had enough protein for the day? Tell those eggs to scram!

Take this basic stir-fry technique and make it yours - and remember, sharing is caring. Tell us about your favorite fried-rice combo in the comments!