Well, the blog's name is Hunger Pangs and hunger pangs are indeed what we were suffering last night. I had to work late last night, and 6 p.m. the phone rang at my desk.

Me (after checking the incoming number on caller ID): "Hello darling."
Him (sounding forlorn): "Still working, hmm? Any idea how long it will still be?"
Me (in a tired voice): "I still have a few things to finish up; hopefully not too long now."
Him (sounding desperately hungry): "Any ideas for supper?"

Which is when Rajitha came to the rescue! I had just commented on her blog earlier that day, and had been working on an idea in my head (inspired by her entry) on the Gujurati restaurants I've been to that had the best food (you'll have to wait a bit for that post, I am afraid) and so, while desperately thinking what to feed my hungry family, her entry on Dhal Banjari jumped into my mind.

Now, let me tell you, this is a wonderful recipe. I asked my husband to start pressure cooking the dhals, and to take out some frozen corn (that recipe will follow a bit later). This meant that by the time I reached home, the dhal was ready for the rest of the recipe - perfect timing.

We left out the cinnamon stick, and we used whole urad, so after everything simmered together at the end, I used my power stick sparingly - dipping it here and there into the dhal and "zirring" it for just a moment, resulting in a lovely mix of some creamy consistency with still lots of whole urad. Right before removing it from the heat I stirred in some cream (you could use a little rich curd as well) to ensure it was liquidy enough and to give a little richness to the dish.

It was finger-licking good - thanks Rajitha for the rescue and the recipe!

If you are wondering what it is that I served it with (remember the corn?), you will have to keep watching the blog.