Lentil shopping

Pulses are very interesting and tasty things. There are so many different types of dal (lentil dishes) that it is well worth exploring the lentil aisles in the big bazaar.

We have so few names for types of lentil, here there are loads, and not the dull old red, yellow, green and brown. How about moong dal, chana dal, tuar dal, urad dal & masoor dal as the main types. Also rajma covers all sorts of kidney bean types.

And sub-types, for example chick peas (chana dal) - the big ones are kabuli chana, smaller bengali and then there are black, red and white also. Chana masala could contain any of these here, but Chole - a punjabi dish, has the big Kabuli Chana we traditionally call chick peas. I had Chole Amritsar - named after the famous temple city on the Pakistan border for my dinner tonight.

I could browse for ages, just sitting