Roughly Recipes

Red Lentil Dal

Recipe by Hari Ghotra

Ingredients:

• 200g red lentils, washed
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds
• 1 dried or fresh red chilli
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp of garam masala

Instructions:

1. Place lentils, salt, and water in a pan. Bring to a boil, skim off froth, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes until soft.
2. In a frying pan, heat oil or ghee. Add dried chilli, bay leaf, and cumin seeds; cook until seeds sizzle.
3. Remove chilli and mince
4. Add onion and garlic, frying until lightly browned. Reduce heat and stir in tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, fenugreek, and chopped chilli. Cook down for 10 minutes to form a thick masala paste.
5. Add a ladle of cooked lentils to the masala paste and mix. Return all contents to the main lentil pan and stir well.
6. Adjust consistency like a thick soup—add boiling water if too thick or simmer to reduce.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in garam masala and coriander before serving.