tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019364330275165959.post-82111693274691655242007-06-20T16:28:00.000-04:002007-06-20T16:28:00.000-04:002007-06-20T16:28:00.000-04:00Hi Manisha, a very warm Caribbean welcome to you! It is a pleasure to have you visit. Please come back again.<BR/><BR/>To answer your questions: yeah, the pigtail because of the curing process will taste a little like ham but it's a lot saltier hence some people boiling it to remove some of the salt before cooking it.<BR/><BR/>I checked here http://www.foodsubs.com/Lentils.html and while the pic there definitely looks like toor dal, I think it is not the same thing because it says that pigeon peas can be used as a <I>substitute</I> for toor dal.<BR/><BR/>The pigeon peas used in the dish are the dried variety which I soaked overnight and then cooked separately in the pressure cooker for about 15 minutes before adding the rice.<BR/><BR/>When making the dish with the fresh pigeon peas, they cook the same time with the rice.<BR/><BR/>Hope I've answered your questions. Please let me if you if you any other questions.<BR/><BR/>Again, thanks for dropping by.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565340772467109199noreply@blogger.com