Recipe: The Best 'Daal' Ever
Cheap, delicious and packing a punch of protein
Daal can be as decadent or as simple as you would like it to be. You can toppings of ghee and butter or you can just let it simmer for longer to extract all the goodness. I am detailing one that I cook at home to go with rice and sides. The quantities listed below will serve 3 to 4 people.
You need:
1 cup yellow (moong) daal
1/2 cup orange (washed masoor) daal
2 large tomatoes or 1 tbsp tomato paste
1 large onion
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
Whole cumin
Whole green chili (optional)
Sliced garlic (optional)
I like to soak my daal for up to 2 hours. I would suggest you soak the lentils for atleast 30 minutes. Heat oil and add the cumin, followed by sliced onions. When the onions become transculent, add sliced tomatoes. Followed by the ginger-garlic paste and the rest of the spices. Add a tiny bit of water to make sure that nothing burns.
Drain the lentils and add them to the simmering mixture. Stir them around for a few minutes so that any remaining water is soaked up by the lentils. Next, add a liter of boiling water and give it a good stir. I like to add another tablespoon of oil at this point. Cover and let it cook until it has softened and reached a consistency of your preference. You may want to blend some of the daal.
This daal recipe is flavorsome enough to do without a ‘tarka’ or tempering. But if you still want to indulge, choose ghee with green chillis and sliced garlic.
I like to serve my daal with a whole lot of sides. But make no mistake that The Daal is the star of the table.