Pakistan's Victory, Gossip, and Daal Makhani

And what a good morning it is!  The Pakistan/New Zealand ODI yesterday was an absolute screamer of a match with both teams playing superbly!  How I enjoyed it!    Pakistan won by the skin of their teeth by an absolute batting surprise:

That was some hot stuff yesterday! Nice batting, kiddo!

Sohail Tanvir!  He perfectly complimented Misbah ul-Haq's calm and collected 93 runs by scoring 3 boundaries and 2 more runs in the second to last over!  I had no idea ST had it in him, I just thought he was a bowler, but what a beautiful knock under extreme pressure.  Misbah ul-Haq was deservedly named Man of the Match.  I really liked how he gave a shout out to captain Shahid Afridi...these two guys working together are making my team the bestest out there, keep it up chaps!

Just one quick non sequitor :  some of the lads had new haircuts and blond highlights put in their hair.  Lookin' good, boys, lookin' good!

Once again my lovely lads used terrific teamwork to ensure victory.  But let's not forget the Kiwis!  They put up a very good fight yesterday, and for quite a while I thought it was curtains for the PCT!  The kiwi bowling was good, the fielding was good, and Dan the Man Vettori did a good job of captaining.  So kudos all around.  Pakistan won the match, but I must say that we the viewers were the real winners!  Great match, guys, and good on all of ya!!!!

And here's the gossip part:  Facebook deleted the Pakistan Cricket Team page saying something about copyright infringement.  Give me a break; the page always said it was an unofficial fan page.  This nonsense really gets my goat; the PCT page was always promoting writers, giving people their start in their career, and provided the lastest info on our lovely lads.  The PCT has furthermore given me an incredible amount of support for my blog.  So, if you were a PCT fan page member, email the FB people and ask that the page be re-instated.  Support the chaps at the PCT facebook page!

And finally the cooking.  Yesterday, I promised a series on the different kinds of daal; today we're going to start with Daal Makhani, a nice slow cooked daal with a rich tomato gravy that even the strictest non-vegetarian will enjoy. This is a recipe I've already published in Sport Pulse, and now you get to read it here.  Lucky Ducky!  This dish is ideal when you need some extra energy and it's also an excellent comfort food when you're feeling a bit down.  And have no fear, this dish is ultra-good for you!  Go get a pot!  What are you waiting for?

Daal Makhani for Continued Sports Excellence and Emotional Balance

Now you may notice that I do not use cream my version of daal makhani.  I prefer to use yoghurt, which gives the daal a very nice tang and it’s a bit healthier as well. All right, here we go!

Ingredients

1 cup whole urad, soaked overnight

2 tablespoons of rajma (red kidney beans) also soaked overnight

1 teaspoon cuminseeds

2 green chilies, split lengthwise

1 cinnamon stick

2 cloves

3 green cardamom pods

2 cm piece of ginger, crushed to a paste

¼  teaspoon  turmeric powder

1 teaspoon  lal mirch

2 large tomatoes, very finely chopped

About 4 tablespoons of yoghurt

1 tablespoon of butter

Salt to taste

oil

First, drain the daals, then cook them with about 2 cups of water or more until they’re overcooked and splitting apart.

Second,  whip or stir the daals until they appear to be mashed.

Heat the oil in a pan and add fry the cuminseeds until they pop.

Add the green chilies, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.

Add the turmeric, lal mirch, tomatoes and yoghurt.  Fry it until it is reduced like a paste, let it stick to the bottom a bit, then add a little water to lift what’s stuck to the bottom.  Repeat this 2 or 3 times to make a nice rich gravy (the bhunna method!)

Add the daal to the gravy, and add about a cup of water.

Add salt, let simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat.

Add  about a tablespoon of butter now to give it a nice, rich taste.

Garnish with some chopped coriander and green chilies, and you can drizzle some fresh yoghurt over it, as well.  Eat with homemade roti, pita bread, or fresh naan from a tandoor bakery.


And there's your victory, your gossip and your dinner.  I don't want any complaints, I've given you everything you need today!  I'll see all of you at the next Pakistan/New Zealand match!


Happy Cricket, Happy Cooking!