Lesson # 20: India

Lesson # 20 of Food is Elementary brought our students to India. During this lesson, students learned about the spice combinations that can be used to create curry, listened to Indian music, made their own curry, and helped in the preparation of a delicious red lentil dhal. After a review of lesson # 19 (China), students located India on a map. India is a country of great diversity. The people of India honor many different religions, speak different languages, and have many different cooking traditions. In order to introduce students to the culture and people of India, the Food Educators selected the book Grandfather Tells Stories of India to read to the class. Students were next shown the beautiful lentils, the key ingredient in the dhal they would soon be creating. Students placed the lentils with the legumes on the food pyramid. Students were told that in India, people eat with their lentils and all other foods with their right hands, similar to the peoples of North Africa. Next, students broke into groups and washed their hands. After washing and drying their hands, a few drops of fragrant rose water was applied to everyone’s hands in order to heighten the experience of preparing and eating delicious Indian cuisine. Students chopped tomatoes for the dhal, and also examined some of the different spices use in Indian cooking, such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, cloves, and fenugreek. The spices were passed around so that students could see, touch, and smell the different spices. After becoming acquainted with the properties of the different spices, the students measured small amounts of each spice, and made their own curry in a small food processor. Just before eating the red lentil dhal, Indian music was played, and students had their foreheads decorated with bindis. The word “bindi” comes from the Sanskrit word “bindu”( meaning a drop), and is meant to suggest the mystic third eye. Bindis are red to symbolize love and strength. Regardless of meaning and symbolism, the students had a great time with their new looks!  Eating , music making, and dancing ensued, and a great time was had by all! Red Lentil Curried Dahl Lentils do not require any soaking, and cook more quickly than many other beans. Lentils come in different colors (white, green, brown, orange, and red), and are used often to make dhal. Dhal is often accompanied by rice or chapattis, whole grain flat bread. While making one’s own curry can be enjoyable, there are also many delicious pre-made curry powders available in the spice section of your local grocery store. Try some different blends a find your favorite! 3 cups red lentils 2 cups tomatoes 1 onion 1 red pepper 1 T. vegetable oil 2 potatoes, cut into small pieces 2 cloves garlic ½ tsp. grated ginger Curry 1 T. ground cumin seeds 2 tsp. ground coriander seeds 1T. turmeric 1/8 tsp. hot pepper flakes 2 T. fresh coriander 1 tsp. ground peppercorns ½ tsp. fenugreek ½ t. cloves Grind the curry spice mixture together in a mortar and pestle, or in a spice grinder/small food processor. Sauté the onion, garlic, and pepper in the oil. Add the tomatoes and ginger. Sauté for another minute. Add the lentils and potatoes with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, add the spices, and cover. Let the mixture simmer until all of the water is absorbed, adding additional water if necessary and stirring on occasion until lentils become thick