The Best Easy Dal Food

THE BEST EASY DAL RECIPE

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils in a sieve, then put them in a large saucepan with the turmeric, several grinds of salt and 3 cups (700ml) of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes, until soft and broken down.
• Now is a good time to put your rice on, if you're making rice.
• Meanwhile, gather and prep your tarka ingredients. You want everything chopped and measured, ready to go, before you start cooking because you will be adding ingredients to the pan in very quick succession. You may even wish to line everything up in the order it goes in the pan.
• Now make your tarka. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until soft and slightly browned. Add the sliced garlic and stir until slightly browning before adding the minced garlic, chili and ginger. Once fragrant, push all of the onions, garlic and ginger to the sides of the pan and add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds to the middle of the pan to toast them, just for a few moments until the toasty scent comes out. Then turn off the heat and immediately add the butter and garam masala, coriander and smoked paprika (+ chili powder, if using). The residual heat of the pan will melt the butter so it can very lightly fry the ground spices.
• Once the lentils are cooked, stir in the lemon juice.
• Once ready, pour the tarka mix into the lentils and stir through. Allow the dal to sit, off the heat, for at least 5 minutes. (I use this time to chop coriander and heat up some naan breads.)

EASY DAL

Steps:

• Clean and wash the lentils thoroughly. Put them in heavy-bottomed 3-4 quart pot, add 5 cups water, and bring to a boil. Remove the froth and scum that collects at the top. Now add the garlic, ginger, fresh coriander (or keep it and use it as a garnish at the end), turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, lower heat, and simmer gently for about 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionaly. When dal is cooked, add the salt and lemon juice (it should be thicker than pea soup, but thinner than cooked cereal.
• In a 4-6-inch skillet or small pot, heat the vegetable oil or ghee over a medium-high flame. When hot, add the asafetida and cumin seeds. As soon as the asafetida sizzles and expands and the cumin seeds turn dark (this will take only a few seconds), pour the oil and spices over the dal (lentils) and serve. (Some people put the dal in a serving dish and then pour the oil and spices over it.).
• To serve: Serve with plain rice and a vegetable for a simple meal. Most meat and chicken dishes go well with this dal. Since some people like to squeeze extra lemon or lime juice on their dal, serve some wedges separately. Note: Finely sliced onion rings, fried until brown and crisp, are often spread over the dal as a garnish before it is served.

DAL

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the ghee and stir-fry the onions just until wilted, do not brown. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, lentils, ginger, curry powder, salt, pepper, sugar and bay leaf. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until the herbs and spices bloom (aromatic). Add the tomatoes and deglaze with the vinegar. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning with cumin, salt, pepper and sugar.
• In a large saute pan, combine the black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, and dried red chiles. Over medium heat, cook just until slightly toasted, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and stir in the grated nutmeg.
• Transfer to a food processor and grind to a fine powder. Pass through a fine strainer. Allow to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight jar. Use as needed.

JAIPUR-STYLE QUICK AND EASY MUNG DAL

Steps:

• Add the mung beans, water, turmeric and carrots to a heavy-based medium pan over a high heat and bring the water to the boil; reduce the heat and allow the contents of the pan to simmer, semi-covered, for 15 minutes, or until the mung beans start to break down; add the cauliflower florets to the pan and simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a small pan over a medium heat; add the cumin and fennel seeds and gently cook them, stirring occasionally, until they have darkened a few shades; add the chilies and ginger and continue cooking until aromatic.
• Pour the contents of the small pan into the simmering soup in the medium-sized pan; add the fresh coriander leaves, lemon juice, salt and pepper; serve hot in individual serving dishes with a simple rice dish or bread.