IMBB#14: Tarka dhal

I've been craving dhal for some time now. There's something deliciously comforting about a spoonful of steaming hot, spicy dhal with rice.

I've never made it before though, and IMBB#14: Orange You Hungry seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.

A couple of clicks later on the Internet and I found what looked like an authentic recipe from someone who had visited a friend's mother in New Dehli. Wow I love the Internet.

I added coarsely mashed carrot to this recipe for extra sweetness, texture and yes, orangeness too.


Amit's Mum's Tarka Dhal (Lentils)
For 2-3 people

Ingredients:
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 large carrot, steamed and roughly mashed [my addition]
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup red lentils (lal dhal) [I used chana dhal, or yellow lentils]
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sunflower oil, or for special occasions 50g butter
Water (to cover lentils at step 4)

Method:
1. In a saucepan, fry the onion and tomato in oil (or butter) for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add salt, cumin seeds, coriander and garam masala and fry for 1 minute.
3. Add the lentils and fry for a further 1 minute.
4. Cover the lentils with water and bring to the boil.
5. Slowly boil lentils for 15 minutes (add a little water if they go dry).
6. The lentils should turn yellow and mushy.
7. Boil off the excess water and serve.



Maybe I was doing something wrong but I ended up cooking my lentils for about 2 hours and though it was cooked, it still wasn't quite mushy enough for my liking. However I was cooking a whole bag of lentils (probably about 3 cups) which may have had something to do with it.

Still, it tasted good, and the carrots did add a nice touch of natural sweetness.

For a full summary of all the orange-themed recipes, check out ladygoat's wrap-up at Foodgoat.

Related GrabYourFork posts:
IMBB#14: Moroccan carrot dip
IMBB#14: Germans carrots cooked in beer