What is a dal? A stewy warm trip to India. And also the term used in the Indian subcontinent to describe split pulses (lentils, peas, beans) and the various soups prepared from these legumes. They are a staple food in that region of the world, eaten by many every single day, usually with a side such as rice or flatbread.

 

 

I was never a huge fan of lentils growing up, but more and more I understand the goodness in them. They can become a great stew in winter, go well in a cold salad in summer, or make a great veggie burger and polpette. Lentils are good for our health too: source of protein (26%), high in insoluble fibre helping our digestion system and cholesterol levels, and they can help prevent heart diseases thanks to the amounts of folate and magnesium in them.

The standard preparation of a dal dish has 2 parts. Firstly, a variety (or mix) of dal is boiled in water with salt and turmeric, and then a fried garnish (chaunk or sofrito, in Spanish) is added at the end to add flavour. The ingredients used in the chaunk (or tadka, tarka) can vary by region. Typically, the raw spices (mustard or cumin seeds, asafoetida) are first toasted in hot oil. Then onion, garlic and ginger follow. They are fried until onions are lightly golden. Finally, ground spices are added (turmeric, pepper, cumin, coriander, garam masala…). The chaunk is then poured over the cooked dal. The recipe below is slightly different, as everything is cooked in one pot.

Since I’m cooking yellow this week I decided to try a recipe that would become a nice golden colour.  पीला, or “peela”, means yellow in Hindi, which is why I named this recipe Peela Masoor dal. I got the inspiration from the first Happy Pear book, which is probably one of the cookbooks I’ve used the most since I live in Dublin. I adjusted the quantities a bit, added more of what I liked (courgette) or extras (spinach, chickpeas, green peas) that I found could go well. To be honest, like most recipes I love, dal is a dish that is open to many ways and ingredients, which makes it great for improvising and using leftovers.

The standard preparation of a dal dish is the following. Firstly, a variety (or mix) of dal is boiled in water with salt and turmeric, and then a fried garnish (chaunk or sofrito, in Spanish) is added at the end to add flavour. The ingredients used in the chaunk (or tadka, tarka) can vary by region. Typically, the raw spices (mustard or cumin seeds, asafoetida) are first toasted in hot oil. Then onion, garlic and ginger follow. They are fried until onions are lightly golden. Finally, ground spices are added (turmeric, pepper, cumin, coriander, garam masala…). The chaunk is then poured over the cooked dal. The recipe below is slightly different, as everything is cooked in one pot.

After researching some Indian recipe websites and reading through the ingredient list, I noticed most dal recipes don’t incorporate whole vegetables. However, I like having the tomatoes and courgettes in this one. You can choose to use them or not, or perhaps you have potatoes and broccoli in your fridge and you want to throw them in too, why not?

With 500g of red lentils I managed to make about 8 individual portions of dal, which is amazing (so so practical). It means I get to eat this a few more times. So I froze two 2/3 of the dal I made and I’m eating the rest today and during the next 2-3 days. I boiled some white rice to go with it – yum. Comfort food for the soul if you ask me. Also quite cheap and nutritious, which is nice for the pocket and the body.

If you decide to try making this recipe or a variation of it, please let me know. I’d love to hear about it!

Recipe: Peela Masoor dal

Silvia

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Ingredients

Total time: 1h

Notes: 6 individual servings

• Rice
• Pitta bread
• Fresh salad: cucumber, tomatoes and onion salad; dressing: 1 tsp oil, squeezed lemon juice & cracked pepper.
• Spice it up: you can add chili flakes before serving or chop some fresh red/green chilis and add them with the garlic and ginger.
• More texture: if eaten fresh, you can add some spinach, chickpeas or green peas to the mix 5-10 minutes before it’s done. If you store the dal in the fridge/freezer and then reheat it, you can reheat it in a pot and add any of the extra veggies to it then.

• 2 tbsp olive or any vegetable oil
• 2 red onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 6 ginger slices
• 2 courgettes
• 4 large tomatoes
• 500g red (masoor) lentils
• 1 lime, juice
• 3 tbsp tamari or soya sauce
• Spices:
  • 3 pinches of coarse/unrefined salt
  • 1 tbsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1.5 – 2 litres water + extra to cook
• raisins, a handful
• Fresh coriander
• Crushed cashews

Sides & extras

• Rice
• Pitta bread
• Fresh salad: cucumber, tomatoes and onion salad; dressing: 1 tsp oil, squeezed lemon juice & cracked pepper.
• Spice it up: you can add chili flakes before serving or chop some fresh red/green chilis and add them with the garlic and ginger.
• More texture: if eaten fresh, you can add some spinach, chickpeas or green peas to the mix 5-10 minutes before it’s done. If you store the dal in the fridge/freezer and then reheat it, you can reheat it in a pot and add any of the extra veggies to it then.

Instructions

1. 1. Pour the oil into a large pot, set to medium-low heat.
   2. Chop onions, garlic and ginger finely. Add onions to the pot first and stir well until they soften. Add the chopped ginger and garlic after. Don’t let them toast or burn too much, otherwise, it’ll become bitter. Make sure they only soften and lightly golden.
   3. Add a spoonful of water to the pot. Chop the courgette and tomatoes in bite-size slices and add to the pot. Add a pinch of salt, stir well and cover. Let cook for 5-10 mins.
   4. Rinse the masoor lentils in cold water. Once veggies have cooked for some minutes, add the lentils to the pot, together with the spices, tamari/soy sauce and lime juice. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, boil 1 litre of water in the kettle.
   5. Add boiling water to the pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer until almost all water has been soaked (10-15 mins).
   6. Boil another litre in the kettle, add to the pot, bring to boil and then reduce. Add the raisins. Let it simmer until almost all water has been soaked (10-15mins).
   7. Chop the coriander and crush the cashews. Use as a topping.

While the dal simmers you have 20-30mins to use, you could boil some rice or prepare a side salad to go with the dal.

The nutrition facts above apply to 1 serving of the dal, without any sides or extras.