Indian Chicken Dhansak

Serves 4. Finely dice the onion and saute it in the oil until golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger paste. Stir for 1 minute over a medium flame and add the Dhansak Masala. Mix thoroughly (the aroma should fill the kitchen by now) and add the chicken or lamb, in 1 inch diced cubes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add water until it just covers the meat. Finely chop the cilantro leaves and add them. Cook until the meat is almost cooked (if you are using lamb, a pressure cooker works wonders if you allow for one whistle and then simmer for 20 min). Chicken cooks quite quickly. Mix the cans of condensed pea soup (one at a time) in a large bowl and one can of water. Stir until the soup is no longer lumpy and add it slowly to the almost cooked meat. Stir continuously, so that the mixture has one consistency (like the consistency of lobster bisque). Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over rice or bread and with slices of lime (to be squeezed over the Dhansak). Accompaniments : Brown Rice: Saute one small onion in a saucepan until lightly brown. Add 1 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. When its starts to caramelize, add 2 cups Basmati rice (or any other white rice). Stir until the cinnamon coats the rice grains evenly. Add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. When it just starts to boil, cover it and simmer for 10 minutes or until all the water has evaporated or been absorbed by the rice. The rice grains should be nice and firm, yet have a slightly sweet taste to it. A nice accompaniment to the spicy Dhansak. Kachubar : Chop up a large onion into long thin slices. Chop up 2 small green chilies. Dice 1 large tomato into 1 inch pieces. Finely chop 1 bunch of parsley or cilantro. Mix it all together.