Red Lentil Daal

Red Lentil Daal 

Makes: 4 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed 
• 4 cups water 
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil, divided 
• 1/2 a medium onion 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced and smashed 
• 2 inch piece of ginger, minced and smashed 
• 1 teaspoon turmeric 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed coriander seeds 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed cumin seeds 
• 1 pinch chili flakes 
• 2-3 pinches of salt 
• 4 plum tomatoes from a can, plus 2 tablespoons of the pulp 

Serving:

• Basmati rice 
• Cilantro 
• Naan bread 
• Crusted Spice/Garlic Oil 

Method:

1. Start by ensuring your lentils are well rinsed. I put mine in a 1 litre glass measuring cup and rinsed under running water until the water ran clear when the lentils when stirred around.
2. Next bring the lentils and water to a simmer in a medium sized pot. Once simmering, some foam will start to come up. Skim this off best you can. Let lentils simmer for about 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

   

   Skimming off foam.

3. In a heavy bottom frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onions, and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, and one pinch of salt, saute 2 more minutes. By now the onions should be translucent. 
4. Add in crushed cumin, ground turmeric, and crushed coriander, and a pinch of chili flakes if desired. Stir spices into the aromatics and let bloom in the hot oil. This brings out their flavour. Add in another pinch of salt as well. 
5. Once spices are fragrant, add the tomatoes and their pulp. I crushed them up in my hands as I added them. 
6. Stir the tomatoes into the mixture and let it come to a gentle simmer. Add in the last 2 tablespoons of oil.
   
   After 5 to 7 minutes, the tomatoes should just melt away into the mixture. At this point, your lentils should just about be done their 20 minutes of simmering.
   
   
7. Check that the lentils are tender and add the onion/spice mixture to the lentils. Stir together and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavours blend. Check for seasonings and adjust to your liking.
8. Serve with basmati rice, naan bread, cilantro, and crushed spice/garlic oil*.

            

Crushed Spice and Garlic Oil:

This is just an optional topping you may wish to add to your Daal. 

In the same frying pan you used earlier, heat 1 tablespoon oil, add a 1/2 teaspoon crushed cumin and/or coriander. Turn off heat as soon as if starts to fry. Add 1 clove of garlic, sliced into thin sticks, and pour oil/spices/garlic into a small serving bowl. 

Key things to remember:

Rinse the lentils very well, until the water runs clear. 

Use whole spices when ever possible. They are so much more flavourful. 

Make sure not to take the cooking of the lentils to far. Otherwise you’ll lose the texture. 

Be sure to use plenty of salt, as it makes the spices really pop.

Enjoy!