Red Lentil Dal

Hey Everyone,  I just had a wonderful new year being the chef at a yoga retreat on the Silver Coast in Portugal.  I had such a lovely time.  All the women were lovely.  It was so good to see how some  chose to spend bringing in the new year, nurturing themselves and their bodies.  I made my mung dal recipe there and many people really loved it.  So I am now inspired to share my red lentil dal recipe with you all.



RED LENTIL DAL

serves 4

1 tablespoon ghee (you can use butter, but ghee is best)

1 teaspoon mustard seeds black or brown

1 large pinch asafoetida

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

10 - 15 curry leaves fresh if possible, but dried are ok

1 cup red lentils soaked for 1 hour or more

3 cups water

1 medium onion chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

1 hot pepper (your favourite chili, or not) chopped and seeded

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 small carrots peeled and sliced

1 small potato cut into small chunks

1 cup small florets cauliflower

1 or 2 teaspoon good quality salt

cilantro/coriander garnish

Place a medium sized pot on the stove.  Drain and rinse the lentils.  Put them in the pot and add 3 cups of water.  Place on high heat until it boils, about 3- 5 minutes.  Then turn it down to simmer.  Skim off any of the foamy stuff from the lentils every now and then. While the lentils are cooking, prepare the onion and spices. Heat a large high sided pan and add the ghee.  Once it's melted add the asafoetida, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves, cook for a minute or two then add the onion, hot pepper and garlic.  Cook until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.  Then add the cumin, coriander and turmeric.  Cook for 2 minutes and then add the vegetables stir and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.  While this is cooking check the lentils.  They should be soft by now.  If they are not, continue cooking until they are.  Add the lentils to the spice and vegetable mixture.  Mix well, add the salt, mix again and add a little water if the mixture is too thick.  Serve with white or brown basmati or homemade chapatis.

Lentils are really good for the body.  They are full of fiber and very high in molybdenum, folate, copper, phosphorus and iron. They also taste amazing.