← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 200 g toor dal (or half toor dal, half red lentils)
• 750 ml water, plus extra hot water to adjust
• ¼ tsp Ground turmeric
• 1½ tbsp Vegetable oil
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 cm piece Ginger, finely chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Green chilli, chopped
• 2 Tomato, finely chopped
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 tbsp Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed (optional)
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pinch Asafoetida (hing) (optional)
• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped
• ½ Lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

1. Rinse the dal in several changes of water until it runs clear, then soak it for 30 min. Drain.
2. Put the dal, water and turmeric in a heavy pot and bring to the boil. Skim off the foam, then cover partly and simmer for 35–40 min, stirring now and then, until the lentils are completely soft. Whisk to a creamy texture.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the onion and cook for 6–8 min, until golden.
4. Stir in the ginger, garlic and green chilli for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, chilli powder and salt. Cook for 6–8 min, until the tomatoes are soft and the oil starts to separate.
5. Tip the masala into the dal with the garam masala and kasuri methi. Simmer for 5 min, adding hot water until it is as thick as you like (it thickens as it stands). Taste for salt.
6. For the tadka, heat the ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, dried chillies and sliced garlic and fry for about 1 minute, until the garlic is just golden. Take off the heat, stir in the asafoetida and Kashmiri chilli for a few seconds and pour the sizzling ghee over the dal.
7. Scatter with coriander and serve with rice or roti, with lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Tips

• Use oil instead of ghee for a vegan dal. Most asafoetida is blended with wheat flour, so buy a gluten-free one or leave it out.
• A pressure cooker cuts step 2 to about 3–4 whistles (around 12 minutes).

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Swasthi's Recipes Cook With Manali