Sabut Masoor Dal (Spiced Brown Lentils) Recipe - The New York Times

• Yield 4 to 6 servings
• Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole masoor dal, soaked for 10 minutes and drained
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ cup ghee or neutral oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
• ½ teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chile powder, or any ground red chile
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 fresh Thai green chiles, stemmed and chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, from about half a large lemon
• ½ teaspoon garam masala, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
• Rice or roti, for serving (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large (about 6-quart) pot, add 7 cups of water, the whole masoor dal and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover and cook on as high heat as possible until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, prepare the masala: In a medium-sized (8-inch) frying pan, heat ghee over medium heat for 30 to 45 seconds or until melted. Add onion, ginger and garlic, and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, chile powder, turmeric and coriander. Mix well. Stir in tomatoes, add salt and Thai green chiles. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and the oil separates (it will form an outline around the jammy tomato), about 10 minutes.
3. Remove 1 cup water from the pot of dal with a ladle (remove more if you want the dal to be thicker, or less or none of you prefer it thinner). Stir the masala from the frying pan into the pot of dal. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or for 10 minutes for more tender dal. Turn off the stove, and stir in lemon juice. Sprinkle with garam masala and cilantro. Serve with rice, roti or by itself.

Sabut Masoor Dal (Spiced Brown Lentils) Recipe - The New York Times