"Jon's Dal" ॐ Curried Red Lentils

"I claim no ownership over this dal." - JP

This is a pretty traditional way of making this dish. Enjoy!

ingredients:

1.5 cups red lentils (masoor dal)
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 bay leaves
4 cups water

Rinse lentils well. Add water turmeric and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer in a partly covered pot (to prevent bubbling). Simmer until lentils are cooked. Most of the liquid should be evaporated.

While lentils are cooking, add to a medium pan:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1-2 tablespoons oil, or ghee

Heat slowly. When mustard seeds start to pop, add:

1 finely chopped onion
3 cloves of minced garlic

When onions are translucent add:

1 cup chopped tomato (or 1 12oz can of chopped tomato)
1 tablespoon of grated ginger

Cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.


Here, to make it spicy, you may optionally add:

chopped fresh chili or crushed red pepper

Add everything in pan to the cooked lentils pot.

You can even add it to the lentils while they are still cooking.

To everything add:

2 tablespoons of curry powder
salt to taste

Garnish with:

fresh cilantro


Tips:

I have also added other vegetable to this dish like potatoes, carrots, greens.

I have also excluded the tomatoes for people who are sensitive to acidic foods.

If you don't eat garlic or onions try substituting them with asafoetida.

You can easily make this into a soup by adding more water.

Experiment with consistency by adjusting the water content.

Try other types of lentils or even mung beans. YUM!

Namaste ॐ