From the story: Thought for Food.
You can adjust the spices in this recipe according to your taste to create the perfect dish for you. I am not a big fan of cumin, so I leave it out. But cumin is not only common in dal, it is expected. If you prefer the dish less or more spicy, you can adjust the black pepper or chili pepper.
If you pair this with Bangladesh Bhapa Chingri and Rice Bengali Style, you have the perfect meal.
Bangladesh Masoor Dal (Red Lentils with Spices)
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 2 cloves garlic medium-sized, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt can adjust to taste
- 3 cups bottled or filtered water
- 2 teaspoons ghee
- ¼ cup parsley or cilantro
- 1 whole tomato, very finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder can use regular or red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin optional
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon nigella seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ cup onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup onions, finely chopped
- 2 whole green chilis one sliced thin lengthwise, 1 finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash and drain lentils.
- In large stainless steel pot, add water, lentils, finely chopped onions, one of the two chopped garlic cloves, the green chili that is cut lengthwise, one tablespoon of ghee (out of two), tomato, salt, chili powder, optional cumin, coriander, turmeric, and black pepper.
- Bring water to boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook approximately 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender but firm.
- Stir dal for approximately 2 minutes, until it begins to homogenize.
- Add parsley or cilantro and keep heat on low.
- Using a separate pan, add remaining one teaspoon ghee. Let it melt. Add thinly sliced green chili and thinly sliced onions (can add more ghee if not enough to cover onions.) Let the onions caramelize. Then add the remaining garlic, brown mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, and fennel seeds. Let them cook until they begin to make sputtering sounds.
- Lower the heat and add ¾ cup of the dal from the other pot. Stir. Then add this mixture back into the remaining dal in the other pot. Stir. Cover and simmer 10 minutes more to meld all the flavors.
Notes
This recipe makes a dal that is not greasy. That is very important to me. When I eat dal in a restaurant, it tends to be on the greasy side. Because I am into healthy eating and cooking, I am picky about the kind of oils used in my food. (Many restaurants use an oil that is not the healthiest choice). When making the dish, I left out oil and used just a little ghee. When the dish was ready, I was very pleased with the fact that this dal was so clean!
I would love to hear your comments!
