Masoor Lentil Dal

India’s Comfort Soup

Dal means split, as in split red lentils, dried peas or mung beans, but Dal covers a wide variety of dried lentils and pulses. The same word is also used to catagorise the soupy cooked dish that’s made with them and forms the key protein component of Indian meals. I make wonderful dals, and love to eat them as well. Dal is the first thing I crave, if I have been away from home on a trip or am feeling low. Here is a simple dal finished with a “tarka” or tempering of hot ghee infused with garlic and spices.

Ingredients: 
1 c split red lentils
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1/3 tsp asafoetida (optional but good)
1/2 tsp whole cumin
2 small dried red chillies
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped fine
Preparation: 

Wash lentils well then drain and tip into a large pan. Add 3 cups of water and bring to the boil. Use a slotted spoon to remove any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to very low and partially cover with a lid slightly ajar. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to ascertain if the dal is cooked, press a grain between your grain and forefinger, it should flatten out.

At this point it is time to temper the Dal or give it a tarka as we say in India. For this, heat the ghee in a small saucepan over a high flame, (in India we would traditionally use a small iron bowl for this as Iron is believed to enhance the properties of the spices in the tarka). Add the asafoetida and cumin (be carefull, they will splutter) and then chillies in that order. When the chillies crisp and darken, add the onion and cook until the slices have browned well. Add the garlic last, cooking it just until it goes golden.  Pour the mixture into the dal and put a lid on. This will keep warm for half an hour or so until you are ready to serve.

Ghee – Ghee is clarified butter. You can substitute it with oil or butter but it is not the same thing, to make clarified butter heat white unsalted butter on a slof flame until it liquefies and all the solids settle to the bottom

Asafeotida - Asafoetida is a resin with a pungent smell that softens on cooking to a musky scent that has similar notes to truffles. Not only does it enhance any bean dish but also makes bean and lentil dishes easier to digest.

Servings: 
2

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