Dal is a staple dish in Indian cuisine. This recipe is vegan, packed with flavor and super nutritious. Serve it with rice, flatbreads, dosas, idlis or medu vada.
Curried Dal
tbsps oil
2 inch piece cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
6 green cardamoms
1 dried red chili
1/4 tsp. asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tbsps dried curry leaves
1-1/2 tsps cumin seeds
1-1/2 tsps corriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
2 tbsps chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 green chilies, chopped
1-1/2 cups pureed tomatoes (2 small)
7 cups water
1-1/2 cups lentils
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 tsps salt
1/2 tsp pepper
*If you don't want to use any of the above spices, substitute 2 tbsps curry powder and add it after almost browning the onions.
Grind the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fengreek seeds; add ground tumeric and set aside.
Heat oil in a medium pot. Add cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cardamoms, red chili, asafoetida and curry leaves. Stir 1 minute, then add ginger, garlic, green chilies and onions. Cook and stir until onions are almost brown. Add the ground cumin, corrander, fenugreek and tumeric mixture and stir a further 2-3 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Add water and lentils. Bring back to a boil and remove cardamom seeds as they float to the top. Cover and simmer dal for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Cook uncovered for a little longer if you'd like a thicker dal. Then stir in 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro, salt and pepper.
Music:
"Allada"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
"The Builder"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
