Ingredients
(for two people)
- 1 cup red lentils
- 3tbsp ghee
- 3 or 4 green chillies
- 1 bay leaf
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 1tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 (red or white) onion, finely diced
- 1tsp ginger and garlic (paste if you have it)
- 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped (or equivalent, can even use tinned tomatoes if that's all you have)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1tsp fenugreek leaves
- fresh coriander
- ginger for topping
Prep
Rinse the lentils thoroughly to remove the starch, until the water is clear. For each cup of lentils, add four cups of water to a pot (no salt) with the lentils. Bring that to a boil and then simmer, removing the froth from the top as it forms, until the lentils are tender enough to be squished.
You can do this while you are making the masala, but I often do it ahead of time so I don't need to multi-task. When they're finished, you can just take them off the heat and set them aside.
Instructions
In a frying pan, add ghee, bay leaf and green chillies (if you didn't chop them, poke some holes in them with the point of your knife so they don't burst). Add the cumin and fenugreek seeds and let them sizzle for a moment. Remove the chillies (to use as garnish later) and add the finely diced onion.
Give the onions a couple of minutes (not too much) and add your ginger & garlic. If you're using paste, hold off on that for a few more minutes, it cooks much more quickly.
Add the tomatoes and stir them for several minutes, making sure they are thoroughly cooked. Add another chopped green chilli at this point if you'd like. After some more time has passed, add ground spices and fenugreek and cook them. To avoid burning, you can add some water, which will help the tomatoes cook down as well.
Once they are thoroughly cooked, combine dal and masala and add freshly chopped coriander. Stir in a teaspoon of Garam Masala and serve with green chilli as garnish, along with coriander and julienned ginger if you have it.