Dal "M" for Masala

Lentils are cheap, nutritious, and when you make them into the traditional Indian dish, dal, quite tasty. There are as many variations of dal as there are languages in India, and probably a few more thrown in for good measure. This is a basic one that won't make too many Indians wince, and you can certainly experiment and try different things out there. Google "Dal recipes" and you'll get an idea of the many different ways to make this.

Here's all you need for your first stab at it;

2 cups dried lentils
1 med onion
2-4 jalapenos (it's really up to you. I like mine spicy so I use 4-5)
2 tbsp curry powder
2 cloves garlic (more if you wish, it's really "to taste")
4 cups water
A bit of cooking oil (you should really use ghee, which is clarified butter, but I never feel like trying to make that. I generally use a mixture of butter and sesame oil. You probably don't want to use olive oil)
Salt (to taste)


Start by chopping the onion and peppers and throwing them in a hot pan with enough oil to saute them nicely. Rinse the lentils and set them somewhere to drain while the onions and peppers get good and soft. Mince and crush the garlic as finely as you can.

When the onion and pepper are cooked well enough, throw in the garlic and stir. Cook that for a minute or less followed by the water and lentils. Stir it all together and then add the curry powder. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes. You may need to add a bit of water near the end if it dries out too much. Best to keep an eye on it.

Serve over basmati rice.

You can cook this longer to get a more mushy consistency. I had a friend from Indonesia who would cook it long enough so that it was just a lumpy liquid served over the rice. It was delicious. If you want something like that but don't want to wait that long cooking, you can always take a cup or two of the cooked dal and puree it in the blender, then mix it back into the rest and serve it like that.

Lentils cost pennies per serving, and are a great source of protein.