Dal

• Chana dal: yellow
• Masoor Dal: red
• Mung dal: made from mung beans
• Toovar dal: larger & yellow
• Urad dal: pale yellow, whitish, viscous (when cooked, of course)

Dhal, along with rice would have to be one of the most important nutritional sources for many of the billion plus people on the Indian sub-continent. In India, dhal refers not only to the cooked dish, but also the huge variety of legumes it may contain. As you would imagine, there is an infinite variation of dhal recipes. One encyclopedic Indian cookbook I owned (Jesse, I want it back.) had over seventy! The most common dhal in the west is made with lentils

This recipe for dhal is really quite special. It was shown to me by a kindly Burmese gentleman called Charlie. It is without question the best dhal I have tried. The key to its success is panch phoron, an Indian blend of whole spices. It is obtainable from Indian spice markets, but if that proves a problem then it is no drama to blend your own. Serve with basmati rice and maybe some cucumber raita, roti and pickles.

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils, washed and picked of grit
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup peeled tomatoes, tinned is fine
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp panch phoron
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 4 curry leaves
• ½ onion, sliced
• 1 ½ Tbs oil
• sea salt
• 1 Tbs ghee or butter, melted

Method

Bring the water to the boil. Add the lentils and chopped tomatoes and simmer for around 30-40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the onions for a few minutes. Add the spices and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the lentil and tomato mixture, bring to the simmer and cook for 5 minutes to let the spices combine. Add salt to taste and the melted ghee.

Addendum.

Dal (?), n. [Hind.]

Split pulse, esp. of Cajanus Indicus.

© Webster 1913.