I grew up eating dal at least twice weekly. My mom, who is from rural western Pennsylvania and an accomplished self-taught chef and baker, quickly mastered northern Indian staples like this after meeting my dad who was born and raised in Ludhiana, India. Growing up, sit-down dinner with an abundance of plants was normal. I joke my mom was granola before it was cool - because she was (and still is; she is now a small business owner of The Juice Jar in my hometown). Our pantry held no processed foods; instead it was packed with bags of basmati rice, jars of cumin, cloves, and black cardamom, flaked sea salt, nuts and seeds, and lentils.

Lately I've been making big batches of dal to last me & my boyfriend the week - we top with fresh herbs, and add protein, yogurt, and rice to make it a meal. It's hearty, satisfying, and delicious hot or cold.

BASIC DAL

  • 2 cups lentils (any kind; I like split yellow lentils, black beluga lentils, and brown lentils - check the label to see how long you'll need to pre-soak and/or cook them, though if you prep like I do and leave in the fridge, they'll be plenty cooked by the time you eat)
  • 2-3 TB of ghee or another heat stable oil
  • ~ 3 tomatoes (~16 oz), fresh or canned (if canned, I recommend organic San Marzano whole or diced)
  • 2 small or 1 large yellow or white onion, diced
  • 1 TB of each: whole mustard seeds; whole cumin seeds; sea salt
  • 2-3 black cardamom pods
  • 1-2 tsp cloves, ideally whole and crushed with a mortar/pestle
  • 2-4 dried ancho chile peppers or other peppers (omit if you don't like spice)
  • ghee, avocado oil, or coconut oil (or another heat-stable oil; avoid canola or processed oils)

Mis en place.

Dice your onions and lay out your other ingredients in prep bowls or cups (this makes your life easier when cooking). Place the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, and caradamom in one bowl. Sea salt and peppers in another bowl. Open the can of tomatoes or dice them and have them ready to go.

Lentil prep.

Rinse lentils thoroughly in a bowl with water, and stir them with your hand. Dirt and other pieces will rise to the top. Pour off the water (you don't have to worry about it ALL coming out - the lentils need to soak anyway). You can soak lentils overnight if you wish, or for a few hours. This will lessen the cook time needed.

Now we cook.

In a large pot (dutch oven or pan), heat the ghee or oil and toast the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, and cardamom pods until fragrant and slightly browned. Add diced onions and cook until softened. Add lentils, sea salt, and peppers. Cook for 1-2 min, then add tomatoes. Add 16 oz water and heat until at a rolling boil, then place a lid on top and reduce to a medium simmer (still bubbling, but not boiling over). Let boil for ~10 min if you soaked lentils overnight or if you plan to put this in the fridge to sit for a day before you eat it, ~20 min if you didn't presoak for long or you want to eat it right after it's done. Turn off heat. You can store this in the container in the fridge (yay! fewer dishes!).

SERVE with:

  • fresh yogurt (dahi is Punjabi style yogurt, usually made at home daily - how magical is that - but now conveniently available at some Costco stores! yay!)
  • fresh cilantro stems and leaves
  • finely diced fresh red onion
  • protein of choice (we like eating this with mahi mahi or chicken)
  • grain: simple cumin-turmeric rice is a WONDERFUL side with this