Red Lentil Dal
This was one of my favourite week night meals growing up. I always shied away form making it because I thought that it was going to very tough and time consuming, but it is crazy simple, delicious and very flexible as it pairs well with a variety of starches and proteins. You can also make a large pot and freeze for a future meal.
Ingredients
1 cup of red lentils
2 cups of water
1 Tbsp of butter
1 tsp of mustards seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 onion, finely sliced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cm of ginger. grated
10 curry leaves
1 bird eye chillli minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Start by rinsing your red lentils under cold water, till the water runs clear.
Place the rinsed lentils into a pot with the water and bring to the boil, then let simmer for about 1 hour until thick. Stir every 5 minutes or so to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom. If the water evaporates too fast add 1/4 cup of water more and continue to cook.
In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the mustard, cumin and coriander seeds. Let cook until fragrant (you will see the seeds start to dance). Then sauté the onion, chilli, garlic, ginger and curry leaves.
Let cook for 5 -10 minutes and then stir into the lentils.
Season with salt and pepper.
Optional
Stir in some spinach and let it wilt
Served with rice and some fried fish, meat balls, or sausages.
Happy cooking!
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