Vegetarian Fusion Cuisine From Around the World

In the last post, I talked about how lentil soup (dal) is a staple item for East Indian and other cultures' diets. Dal can be made like a smooth soup, or it can be made into a thick stew. Here is a recipe for a basic Dal.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1 tsp whole mustard
• 1 tsp whole coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flake [optional]
• 1 cup lentils
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 2-3 tbsp cooking oil (canola or vegetable)
• 1/4 cup diced cooking onion [optional]
• 4 cups water
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

• In a spice/coffee grinder, grind the cumin seed, mustard, coriander seed, and red pepper flake. Remove the mix and set aside. [It's okay if you are missing some of these items, but try to at least have cumin.]
• In the same grinder, grind up the lentils in one or more batches and set aside.
• Heat cooking oil on high in a medium sauce pan or a ceramic cookpot, if possible.
• Turn the heat down to medium high. Add turmeric and the freshly ground spice mixture. Roast the spices for about a minute.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the ground lentils and roast for about 2 minutes.
• If using, add the onions and saute for about 1 minute.
• Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the water, stir and cover partially. Let simmer for 30 - 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom. Add extra water if the consistency is too thick, then simmer for a few more minutes. Lentils can burn easily and ruin your pots, so watch the dal carefully.
• Normally, you would not grind the lentils. However, I tried this to speed up the cooking time and it actually worked rather well. If you do not have a coffee/spice grinder, you can still use this recipe. However, turn the heat down to low, add an extra cup of water, and let the dal cook an extra 10-15 minutes, uncovered.
• Whether you use ground lentils or not, if you find the dal getting too thick but the individual lentils are still hard (uncooked), add another cup of water, stir gently, and let simmer. With lentils, until you get the hang of them, keep tasting a spoonful at different times until you find it has a satisfying texture. I like a very smooth dal, others like to use non-ground lentils that do not fully dissolve.
• When you are satisfied with the texture of the dal, remove the pot from the heat and sprinkle on salt and black pepper to taste.

Serving
Serve on rice or with flatbread toast points

(c) Copyright 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://www.chameleonintegration.com/blogs/vegfusion

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