One of the most desirable dishes I make that is filling and healthy is daal (lentil) soup. Lentils are a great source of protein and can be used in a variety of dishes.

Daal (lentils) is a staple in many households of Indian origin. It is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner and many Indian snacks are actually made from lentils. As a child I remember eating Daal that was quite soupy, in fact we would slurp the Daal curry my mum would cook for us from a cup! This is actually how authentic Bangladeshis will cook this dish; while lots of people like their Daal quite thin, I prefer my Tadka Daal to be thick in consistency. I enjoy eating this all by itself or with some naan/tortillas.

I was taught to cook Daal by adding onions to the lentils when you initially boil them; over the years though I’ve adapted recipes to my own taste and have to admit, I like this better! If you don’t like having bits of onion in your daal add them when you boil the lentils and that way you can mash them up. I use ghee in this curry/soup but you can of course use oil if you prefer. If you want the soup thinner, simply add more water after you mash the lentils and boil to your desired consistency. Adding a tomato in this dish is a great way of using up tomatoes that aren’t quite fresh anymore; just remove the parts that aren’t so good, chop and add. It’s entirely optional, you can always enjoy the daal without tomatoes.

You will need: for Tadka Daal

1 cup red split lentils
1 onion
4 garlic cloves
1 tomato (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp ghee/3 tbsp oil
3 red dried chillies
pinch of fenugreek (methi), ajwain, mustard and black jeera (kali jeera) seeds.
coriander for garnishing

Method:

4.6 from 7 reviews

Tadka Daal

 

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Daal (lentils) is a staple in many households of Indian origin. It is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner and many Indian snacks are actually made from lentils. As a child I remember eating daal that was quite soupy, in fact we would slurp the daal curry my mum would cook for us from a cup! This is actually how authentic Bangladeshis will cook this dish; while lots of people like their daal quite thin, I prefer my daal to be thick in consistency. I enjoy eating this all by itself or with some naan/tortillas.

Author: Afelia's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 cup red split lentils
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tomato (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp ghee/3 tbsp oil
• 3 red dried chillies
• pinch of fenugreek (methi), ajwain, mustard and black jeera (kali jeera) seeds.
• coriander for garnishing

Method

1. Measure 1 cup of lentils and soak in warm water (this helps speed up the process of soaking the lentils), allow to soak for 30 - 60 minutes.
2. Once the lentils are soaked (they should expand and increase in size), rinse them till the water runs clear. Now add just enough water to cover the lentils and add 1 tsp salt.
3. Add ½ tsp turmeric and 2 bay leaves. If you want a curry without bits of onion, add your chopped onion now, that way you can mash them later with the daal. Cover and allow to boil. Keep an eye on this as the water tends to overspill just as it hits boiling point. You can also keep it uncovered and bring to the boil, again just keep an eye on it.
4. Meanwhile peel and chop your onion and garlic.
5. Dice your tomatoes, I keep my pieces fairly large and chunky.
6. Once the daal is boiling, turn the heat down slightly and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes over a medium - high heat to rapidly soften the lentils. If for any reason the daal seems to dry out too much add a splash of water to loosen and help cook the lentils through. Take a wooden spoon and roughly mash the lentils if you want a thick texture, use a potato masher to mash your daal if you want a finer texture. Once you are happy with the texture decide on how much water you want to add; I added 1 cup and a splash more, you can add more/less depending on how thick/thin you want it to be. Bring this to the boil and allow to boil for several minutes. Remove from heat and keep to one side.
7. Now prepare your tadka which basically means tempering spices/vegetables in hot oil/ghee/butter; it's also called bhagar/vagar in some languages and you can use a variety of spices to add flavour to your dishes. I'm using 3 red dried chillies, a small pinch of each of the following spices; fenugreek (methi), kali jeera, ajwain and mustard seeds. You can use panch puran if you don't have these specific seeds.
8. Add 2 tbsp of ghee to a pan and heat. Once hot add your 3 chillies; if you're afraid of chillies bursting in hot oil break them in half before adding, just be aware if broken they will release some of their heat (spiciness) in the oil. Wait till the chillies are dark in colour (almost black) then add the seeds.
9. Once the seeds are popping, add your garlic and wait for this to brown properly. Now add your onion and brown also. Finally, add your tomato and allow to fry for a couple of minutes.
10. Add all of your bhagar to the cooked daal and bring to boil again for a few minutes so the spices infuse the daal with their flavours.
11. Finally, add some chopped coriander to garnish. Serve your daal with naan, rice or as I like mine, with tortillas!

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