Dal and rice, papad and pickle is a basic meal for many Indians. Around Christmas time when one tends to eat a lot of heavy food, mum would make this dal.

Ingredients

3 dl masoor dal / red lentils (washed and soaked in the morning if you plan to cook this in the evening)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder / haldi

For the tadka

2-3 tbsp ghee or cooking oil

1 medium size white onion

3-4 dry red chillies (I use Kashmiri but you cana use nore pungent ones if you prefer)

3-4 sprigs of curry leaves (about 20 leaves)

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin / jeera seeds 1/2 tsp asafoetida / compounded hing

4 garlic pods, sliced

To serve

4 sprigs green coriander

Putting it together

Drain out the water that the lentils were soaked in & add them to a cooking pot with the turmeric and 6-8 dl of cold water. Do not heat the pot or use hot water because the lentils will take longer to cook.

Cook on medium heat for 12 – 15 minutes until the grains are still visible but soft enough to crush between your finger tips. I use a wooden spoon across the top of the pot – to avoid this boiling over.

You can do this in advance and add the tadka before serving. If the lentils were cooked earlier, warm the lentils on a low heat before adding the tadka.

In a smaller saucepan, add the ghee an heat on medium. I use frozen curry leaves so I add them next and allow them to fry a little. If you are using fresh you can add them after the mustard seeds.

Add the mustard seeds, cumin and wait until the mustard starts spluttering. Add the asafoetida, red chillies & garlic and fry til the garlic is golden.

Then add the onions and maybe a little more ghee / oil and allow the onions to fry to a golden colour.

Add the mixture to the dal. After this, one normally uses a few spoons of the cooked lentils to clean out the tadka pan, ensuring that all the spices & flavour are transferred to the lentils.

Allow the dal to cook on medium heat for 8 – 10 mins, adding a little water if it is too dry. Chop the coriander and sprinkle over before serving.

Enjoy with plain rice or chapattis!