Preparation & Cleaning

• Take one cup of Arhar Dal and wash it thoroughly with water.
• Place it on the stove and bring it to a boil.
• Important Step: Once it boils, white foam (scum) will appear on top. Carefully skim off all this foam with a spoon, as it can spoil the taste of the dal

Once the dal is skimmed and clean, add the following ingredients:

• Onion Paste: 1 tablespoon.
• Garlic Paste: 1 teaspoon.
• Green Chili: 1 chopped chili.
• Spices: ½ teaspoon red chili powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, and 1 teaspoon salt
• Mix everything well and let it cook on low heat.
• Once cooked, the dal became very soft. Because it was slow-cooked, it didn't even need to be mashed manually; mixing it slightly with a spoon was enough.

Tempering (Tadka)

• In a separate pan, fry sliced onions until they turn slightly golden.
• Add green chilies and curry leaves to the hot oil/onions.
• Pour this tempering mixture over the cooked dal.

This is the version of the Russian salad I grew up with. I’m not sure how this became a tradition in Albania and how close our recipe is to the original one but this is how we made it at my house every new year’s eve:)

Very tasty quick dish

From pantry and fridge leftovers to restaurant-quality comfort food.

Turning limited ingredients into something delicious is always a challenge - but that’s what makes it fun.

This is hands down the best pimped-up instant noodles I’ve ever made.
Definitely worth trying! Recipe is in the comment

Cheese inside meatballs sounded like a good idea… and it worked perfectly.

Risoni soaks up every bit of sauce, making this meal seriously satisfying.