Tarka Dhal

This recipe is simple but very effective. Be careful not to add too much salt at the beginning. You can always add a little more, but you can’t take it out! It’s great as a side dish with other curries, or as a light lunch on its own. It keeps well in the fridge, but I can’t comment on how it freezes because it never lasts long enough in my house!

Ingredients

½ cup red split lentils

3 cups water

1 level teaspoon salt

1 small onion chopped

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

4 tablespoon melted vegetable ghee (veg oil is fine)

Pinch turmeric

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 small tomato

2 tsp finely chopped green coriander

Method

1.     Pick over the lentils for any stones and wash them in several changes of water.

2.     Put into a saucepan with the three cups of water, add the salt, and bring to the boil.

3.     Turn down the heat and simmer uncovered, skimming off the froth that collects at the top for the first 20 minutes or so during cooking. This is quite important.

4.     After this, the pan should be partly covered. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a total of one hour. It’s ready when it has a pale yellow, soup-like consistency.

5.     While the dhal is cooking, fry the onion and garlic in the ghee (oil) until the onions are pale brown.

6.     Add the turmeric and garam masala to the onions and cook for two or three seconds.

7.     Stir the onion mixture into the cooked lentils.

Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped tomato and green coriander.