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Red or brown lentils; yellow or green split peas, or split, hulled mung beans
4
c
Water
2
Dried chiles; whole, (I used mild ones; next time I'll add 3 or 4)
1/4
ts
Turmeric; (for coloring, as far as I can tell)
1/2
ts
Salt; (optional, as always)
1/2
ts
Cumin seeds; (I used ground cumin; it tastes somewhat different)
1
c
Chopped onion; (I used a red one)
1
ts
Grated peeled fresh ginger root; (do not omit– makes the dish, IMHO)
1
tb
Fresh lemon juice; (I used bottled)
1/2
ts
Garam masala; (go light, and add more at the table, if desired) (up to 1)
Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
from "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant", Indian chapter by Linda Dickenson
Note: The original recipe called for cooking the cumin seeds in 2 TBL of
oil first-- this is clearly unacceptable. I modified the recipe to add the
cumin seeds to the onions when frying in a little water, and this should
suffice.
Wash the lentils, peas, or beans in several changes of cold water. In a
medium pot, cover them with the water and add the whole dried chiles,
turmeric, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring
often, until very tender. This will take about 30 minutes for red lentils,
45 minutes for peas, or an hour or more for mung beans (note: check every
10 minutes or so, as the time can vary widely, depending on the size, type,
and age of the legumes-- mine took about an hour, but were a little old).
It may be necessary to add more water to prevent sticking, but only add 1/2
cup at a time, because the final consistency should be fairly thick. Use a
heat diffuser of necessary.
When the lentils are almost cooked, heat a little water or broth in a
nonstick pan, and stir in the onion, cumin seeds and fresh ginger, and cook
until onions are soft and translucent and a little brown, about 10 minutes.
use just enough water to keep the onions and seeds from sticking to the pan
and burning-- too much water may keep the onions from browning.
When the lentils are tender, remove and discard the chiles. Stir in the
onion mixture, lemon juice, garam masala, and salt to taste. Be careful
when adding the garam masala, as too much may add a slightly bitter
aftertaste to the dish. Serve, passing additional garam masala to sprinkle
on top, if desired.
Serves 6
Variations: Spinach dal: Add 4 cups of chopped, fresh spinach to onions
after they have sauteed for abouut 5 minutes, and cook for 5 minutes more.
Tomato dal: Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes to the onions after they have
sauteed for abouut 5 minutes, and cook for 5 minutes more.
Spinach-tomato dal: Add both spinach and tomatoes.
Posted to fatfree digest V98 #013 by sconyers@ix.netcom.com on Jan 13, 1998
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