Here is a recipe I made up today from various random sources:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups red lentils
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 7.5 cups water
1. Put in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 45 mins stir every now and then.
More ingredients:
- 2 habaneros
- 8 cloves of garlic - basically a whole garlic
- 1 large onion
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 inch section of fresh ginger
- olive oil
While the lentils are simmering, prep the vegetables:
2. Remove the seeds and the middle fibres that the seeds are stuck to finely and chop the habaneros - I mean really fine
DO NOT TOUCH HABANEROS WITH YOUR SKIN AT ANY TIME - USE GLOVES.
I would suggest having a small container ready for when you’ve done the chopping. Put the chopped pieces in the container and set it aside, and then immediately wash the knife and chopping board. This isn’t a joke, you don’t want any habanero juice getting in someone’s eye, not to mention various other unpleasant possibilities.
3. finely chop the garlic - or put it through a press
4. finely dice the onion
5. peel and finely chop the ginger - into tiny little pieces
6. put the ginger in the pot with the lentils and stir it in timing is not critical for this but you don’t want to wait until after the frying
After the 45 minutes, keep the lentils simmering and then do this:
7. put a couple of tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and heat fairly high
8. add the cumin powder and cumin seeds - let them sizzle for a minute or two
9. carefully add the habaneros sizzle them for a minute - be very careful about spitting oil
10. add the garlic - let that sizzle for a minute
During all this sizzling, mix well with a wooden spoon or similar implement. You’re really wanting to mix the flavors into the oil.
11. Add the onion. Fry the onion in the oil for about 10 minutes - the garlic will be browning, and the onion will be translucent. Stir all the time so that the onion gets ‘dirty’ with the spices and chili.
12. After the 10 minutes, add this mixture to the lentils and stir well.
13. Now simmer the lentils slowly until the dal is at the consistency you desire. For me this took another 30 minutes or so. I like it fairly creamy with just a little liquid.
I let it stand for about 15 minutes with the pot lid on while I cooked some rice.
I served it over the rice with a big chunk of fresh chopped cilantro leaves, and some halved cherry tomatoes. Squeezing a little fresh lime juice over the top added zest.
The recipe made enough for 4 people. I’m expecting the flavor to develop more as it sits overnight.
It’s spicy enough to stimulate the organs, but stays true to the spirit of dal and shouldn’t blow your head off. I’d call it a medium spicy dish. The general tone of it is wholesome and clean tasting.
Let me know if you have suggestions.
