Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup Masoor dal (red split peas, available in Indian grocery stores or some Whole Foods stores)
- 1 teaspoon of a mixture of five spices: cumin, mustard, fennel, black caraway and fenugreek seeds (my aunt mixes equal amounts of each seed in a large jar to keep for frequent use)
- half of a large tomato, diced
- handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the dry lentils, then boil in 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Skim the foam as it forms on the surface of the water and discard.
- Continue boiling the lentils until they change from red to yellow. The lentils should be soft and the water should be soup-like. Turn the stove off.
- While the lentils are boiling, heat the oil and the spices in a separate pot. When the oil starts to pop around the seeds, add the tomatoes. Fry the tomatoes until they start to soften.
- When the tomatoes have begun to wilt, add the boiled lentils. Mix and boil until the soup is of the right consistency: if you prefer your soup lighter, then add more water. If you prefer more of a lentil stew, then let some of the water boil off.
- Add the chopped cilantro and salt to taste. Serve warm over rice, or in a bowl with warm Indian bread.
Notes
- Note (from 2/18): My aunt mentioned this to me a while ago, and I just now realized that I never added it to the post. A variation on the dal is to chop up a small onion and mince a few cloves of garlic. Saute them in the oil in the third step, instead of using the spices. A good tip if you don’t want to go out and buy a ton of spices but still want some yummy Indian goodness.