Brown rice and chana bowl with methi
One bowl with everything in it: brown rice, chana dal, a methi sabzi and raw vegetables, so you can see the balance on the plate instead of guessing at it.
Serves 245 minutes, plus soaking
How to make:
Soak the chana dal for an hour, then pressure cook with turmeric, salt and two cups of water for four whistles. It should hold its shape, not collapse.
Cook the brown rice separately — it takes longer than white rice, roughly twenty-five minutes, and wants about two and a half cups of water per cup of rice.
Clean the methi leaves and chop. Heat oil, add cumin and garlic, then the methi with a little salt. Cook until it wilts down and the bitterness softens.
Temper the cooked dal with cumin, hing and a chopped tomato, and simmer for five minutes.
Build the bowl: brown rice on one side, dal beside it, methi next to that. Fill the remaining space with carrot sticks, cucumber, onion rings and a wedge of lime.
Squeeze the lime over everything just before eating.
Notes:
Raw vegetables are not garnish here. They are a third of the bowl, and they are what keeps you full.
