Tarka dhal (red lentils)

Lentils have always had an awkward association with me. 'Hippie food', we used to call them when I was young, prone to give you wind and considered the bland sustenance of hapless vegetarians. I made a soup once which must have been so mindblowingly good I have no recollection of it, but I do remember making a lentil lasagna, of which I shall say no more. The way lentils are used in Indian cooking is a lesson in how to take such a bland ingredient and make it shine with true potential. Add some spice, a few meltingly caramelized onions and a little tomato paste or some super fresh tomatoes and you have a feast, always ready to astound. "How can one such tiny grain be transformed so magnificently"? 

The Indian names for all the different lentils can strike fear into the heart of a burgeoning Indian vegetable cook: Tarka dhal, moong dhal, masoor dhal, bengal gram, it's a little intimidating at first, but easily remedied. For the dish I chose: Tarka dhal, I needed red split lentils which, at first, had me scrambling around the supermarket looking for a tin of the stuff. I figured that lentils need to be soaked and cooked for a long time to be edible and not toxic. Finding no satisfaction with the tinned varieties, I spied a bag of the required pulse that stated only 5 - 10 minutes cooking from their dried state was required. So, another dreaded myth of the lentil variety was busted: not all legumes need long soaking and cooking.

Recipe : Tarka Dal

This recipe uses mustard seeds which start to pop violently when exposed to hot oil releasing the most mouth watering, savoury aroma. (Make sure you cover the pan when they pop as they have a tendency to get in your eyes). The dish is creamy, flavourful and perfect with rice or bread to mop up the sauce, although it is quite thick. I added some chopped and lightly fried vegetables to this dish to provide a little colour and freshness. Don't be intimidated by the huge list of ingredients, it gets thrown together pretty quickly.

Adapted from The Complete Book of Indian Cooking

2 tbsp ghee

2 shallots, sliced

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

8 fenugreek seeds, ground to a powder

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup red split lentils

5 small tomatoes, chopped small

1 tsp curry paste, (optional)

2.5 cups / 1 pint of water

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp fresh coriander, (cilantro)

1 bell pepper, seeded and finely sliced

a handful of frozen peas

a handful of finely sliced greens, such as spinach, kale or chard

a few cauliflower florets, separated

1 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp each salt and paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp butter

Heat half the ghee in a large pan over medium heat and fry the shallot until softened. Add the mustard seeds and immediately cover the pan. Shake the pan a little until you hear a popping noise. 

Remove the lid from the pan carefully and quickly add the garlic, fenugreek, ginger and salt, (these will stop the seeds popping so explosively). 

Stir and then add the lentils, 5 tomatoes, curry paste and water and simmer gently over a low - medium heat until the lentils are becoming tender. 

Stir in the other 4 tomatoes, lemon juice and cilantro and simmer for about 5 - 10 minutes until thickened and almost mushy in consistency. 

Heat the 1 tbsp ghee in a frying pan over medium heat and add the bell pepper, greens, peas and cauliflower. Stir fry until softened and starting to brown and then add the salt and chili powder. Stir the vegetables into the dhal.

Transfer everything to a serving dish, stir in the butter, chili powder and garam masala and serve.