Dal
We love dal! It's a great protein and fibre packed addition to an Indian meal, whether you are vegetarian/vegan or not. Some dals are as runny as soup and can be eaten as such, some are thick like polenta and are eaten with flat breads or rice. This is a thicker one (which gets even thicker in the fridge if you have leftovers) but if you like it thinner you can add more water.
The technique is simple here: you cook the lentils in water and a little turmeric until they are done. Then you heat a fat - in this case we are using unrefined coconut oil, which is very South Indian, but you can use ghee or a mixture of neutral oil and butter - and briefly fry some spices and herbs. You then pour the oily spice mix over the top of the dal before you serve it.
- 1/2 cup dal (we used chana dal, you can use urad, toor, massor, or mung dal or a combination)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1/2 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil (or ghee, or a mixture of butter and neutral oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seed
- 1 whole dried chili (or more, to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon hing/asafoetida
- 5 curry leaves (removed from stem)
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- salt (to taste)
Rinse the lentils a few times until the water runs clear. Check for any small pebbles and remove them. Drain. Put the lentils in a pot with 2 1/2c of water and the turmeric. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer with the pot lid partially on. It could take 50 minutes to an hour of simmering before it is done but you will need to check on it a couple of times to make sure that there is enough water so that it doesn't burn. You can also smoosh the lentils up against the side of the pan, as I did in the video, as they get softer. When the lentils are cooked, set them aside until you are ready to temper the dish.
In a small pot, melt the coconut oil over high heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to start to pop - this should happen within a minute or so. If your oil starts smoking, lift the pan off the heat. Then add the rest of the dried spices and swirl them together. Add the curry leaves (we were out when we made the video but these really make the dish so grab some if you see them), they will spit and sputter so be careful. Then remove from the heat.
Pour the tempered spices into the dal. Stir it then add the garlic and some salt and stir again.
