recipes

split pea dahl, 100 g, soaked overnight in cold water
red lentils, 100g soaked in water overnight
ground turmeric,, a pinch
vegetable oil, 25 ml
onion, 150g, peeled and finely chopped
fresh ginger, 3 T peeled and finely chopped
fresh red chilli, 2 t finely sliced
garam masala, 2 t
asafoetida, 1 t
deried fenugreek leaves, 1 T
plum tomatoes, 150 g, cored, quartered and roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
crispy onion sprinkle

for the Tarka
vegetable oil, 2 T
cumin seeds, 1 t
garlic, 3 T, peeled and finely sliced
dried chilli, 1 split in half
Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 t
coriander, a small bunch, leaves picked and shredded

1.  Drain and rinse the soaked lentils.  Place them together with the tumeric in a saucepan, cover with and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1½ – 2 hours, or until the lentils are soft and tender.  Skim off any scum that floats to the surface, adding more water if necessary during the cooking process.  Remove from the heat, cover and set aside to cool while preparing the rest of the dish.

2.  Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat.  Add the onion, ginger and red chilli and cook without colouring until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the garam masala, asafoetida and fenugreek and cook for 2 minutes, stirring the spices to prevent them from sticking to the pan, becoming bitter or burning.  Add the tomatoes, reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook until they break down into a pulp.

3.  Drain the lentils  (reserve the cooking liquid to thin out the dahl, if necessary), add to the sauce and cook for a further 15 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary with salt and pepper.

4.  To temper the tarka, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat.  Add the cumin, garlic, dried chilli and chilli powder and cook until the garlic i golden brown.  Stir the garlic and the spices continually to prevent them from sticking to the pan, becoming bitter or burning.  Pour the tarka into the dahl and stir until fully incororated.  Add the shredded coriander leaves and stir through.  Serve the dahl in a warm dish and garnish with the crispy onion sprinkle.