Osaka Spice Curry (SOMA-Style)

Add the brown rice to a rice cooker with more water than for white rice (water level around the second knuckle), and start cooking.

Place the red lentils in a bowl, rinse briefly to remove debris, drain, and transfer to a frying pan.

Add 1L water to the lentils. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer without losing too much liquid until the lentils swell and the dal thickens.

Add 1 tsp each of coriander, cardamom, turmeric, garlic, and salt to the simmering lentils. Cook for a few more minutes to let the flavors meld.

Divide the finished dal into two bowls. Set one aside as the finished dal; reserve the other for the pork-and-spinach curry.

Blanch the spinach, shock in cold water, squeeze out the moisture, and roughly chop. Place the chopped spinach and a ladleful of whole tomatoes in a pot and blend smooth with an immersion blender.

In a separate frying pan, lightly salt the ground pork and stir-fry. Once it releases its fat, raise the heat and stir-fry until crumbly.

Add the spinach-tomato purée to the pork and reduce to low heat. Stir in 1 tsp each of garlic, coriander, cardamom, and cinnamon and mix.

Stir the reserved half of the dal into the pork-and-spinach curry, adjust salt, and finish. Plate the brown rice and serve both curries alongside, with shichimi on top to taste.