Pakistan, Homesick French-Canadians, and Toor Daal

And thankfully, a big, dry g'day to ya!  The weather's gone beserkers in Australia; cyclones, floods, rain rain and more rain and some cold.  When's it going to stop?  I sincerely hope everyone up in the North is OK, and those of us who are in a position to help, should.  Floods totally bite the big one.  Let's hope we get some sun here down under and that we all get to dry out a bit.

Right.  Cricket.  My loveliest lad of all time, young pace bowler Mohammed Aamer, has been found guilty of spot-fixing and will be banned from cricket for 5 years.  Salman Butt has been banned for 10 years, and Mohammed Asif has been banned for 7, also for spot fixing.  It is a sad day not just for Pakistan fans, it's a sad day for cricketdom.

But moving on, Pakistan lost their final ODI in New Zealand on Saturday because they were experimenting with their line-up before the upcoming World Cup.  However, my lovely lads did win the series, and I am totally looking forward to their WC matches.  That's right, I'm looking forward to it...let's all support our wonderful chaps because
they've been playing so well even without their superstar bowlers Aamer and Asif.  You know what?  I think all of the chaps on the World Cup squad are superstars.  I love my lovely lads!  Let's go DOMINATE THE WORLD!!!

And the second part of my post.  I'm so freakin' homesick.  I love Melbourne, but I miss Vancouver Island, I miss speaking french at home,

Cathedral Grove, close to Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island

I miss the woods, I miss the beach.


The last access, Judges' Row, Qualicum Beach

Thank goodness I've got the Pakistan Cricket Team to keep my mind off of my homesickness!  And thank goodness that I have an old-fashioned pakistani recipe which is a spiced-up, even more delicious version of that french-canadian classic, pea soup.  So if you're a homesick french-canadian like me, and really want a bit of home while you're in a different country, but can't find the necessary salted pork to make pea soup, try this instead.  It's slightly different, but has the same soul-soothing effect of split peas and you'll find you're ready to face the day no matter where you find yourself in the world.  C'est bien!  C'est l'heure du biznez culinaire!

Toor Daal (Pakistani-style French Canadian Soupe aux Pois)

3/4 cup Toor daal (yellow split peas)
3 cm piece of ginger, crushed
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1 onion, very finely chopped
2 roma tomatoes or 1 gourmet tomato
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed powder
green chilies, chopped
5 or 6 curry leaves
chopped coriander for garnish
salt
about 5 cups of water
oil for cooking

Boil the daal, ginger and tumeric on high heat, the turn the heat to low and cover.  Make sure it doesn't boil over.
Simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

While the daal is simmering, in a separate frying pan heat some oil.
Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil.
When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves and the onions.
Fry the onions till golden.
Add the tomatoes, cumin powder and coriander seed powder and salt.
Fry until the mix is reduced to a paste, add water if necessary to prevent the mix from burning.

Add this tomato gravy to the simmered daal, adjust the amount of salt if necessary, and bring to a boil for a few minutes.

If you're going to serve this with rice, make it a little watery, if you're going to serve this with naan or chappatis, let it reduce so it becomes thicker.

If you're a really homesick "pea souper" ( a slightly derogatory name for french-canadians) like me, you can eat this like a nice thick soupe aux pois with a good thick slice of toasted white bread.   You'll be transported back home in a jiffy AND you'll also have a little taste of Pakistan while you're at it.  The best of both worlds!

Right!  I'm off to learn about classic World Cup cricket matches at sportpulse.net.  Why don't you do the same?  Visit the other lovely lads, the authors at SportPulse!

Happy Cricket, Happy Toor Daal!