Mike Wolfberg's Recipe for Masoor Dal
This is a soupy kind of dish which is best served in small bowls.
This recipe is based on one from "Flavors of India"
by Sacharoff, published in 1972 by 101 Productions and distributed
in the U.S. by Charles Scribner's Sons.
- 1 cup split dry red lentils (masoor dal)
- I buy this in a 5-lb. bag at India Tea
and Spice in Belmont, MA., but it likely also comes in
smaller sizes.
- 3 cups water
-
- 1/2 tsp. salt
-
- 1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
- I buy this at India Tea and Spice.
- 1/4 tsp. hot red pepper
- I buy this at India Tea and Spice.
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- Spice Islands brand is preferred for intensity of flavor.
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander seeds
- Spice Islands brand is preferred for intensity of flavor.
- 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger root
- The gnarled pieces have the most flavor; avoid buying large
solid pieces. Cut off the brown skin before chopping.
- 1 tsp. black mustard seeds
- These can be found in an Indian grocery, such as India Tea
and Spice.
- 1 Tbl. mustard oil
- This can be found in an Indian grocery, such as India Tea
and Spice.
- 1/2 dried hot red pepper
- Cut this open and discard the seeds and pulpy material.
Finely break or chop the pepper.
- 1/2 - 2 oz. fresh lemon juice
- according to taste - start with the smaller amount and add
enough to just begin to get the blending in of the lemon
flavor.
- 1-2 Tbl. (or more) chopped cilantro
- Wash this well to get rid of grit.
- Look through the lentils carefully, and remove any foreign objects,
such as stones, twigs, and other grains. This can easily be done
by pouring a few tablespoons (at a time) of lentils onto a
white dinner
plate and looking at all the contents of the plate;
remove the foreign matter as you find it by sliding it off the
plate; then dump the contents of the plate into a bowl.
- Wash the dal under warm water by placing the dal in a strainer
and placing that in a bowl. Run the
water over the dal, let it soak in the water, and stir it.
Continue rinsing until the water is clear and some of the scummy
bubbles are washed away. Drain the dal.
- Bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and
the washed dal. After it comes to a boil again, cook
uncovered for 5 minutes. Then lower the heat to low, cover,
and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until it is quite soft.
- Stir, and add in the 4 powdered spices and the ginger. Let
this simmer for another couple of minutes.
- In another pot with a cover, large enough to hold the dal,
place the mustard seeds, chopped dried red pepper, and the
mustard oil. Cover the pot and put it on a low flame. As the
pot heats up, the seeds pop and spatter. When the spattering
stops, turn off the flame, and wait several seconds before
uncovering the pot. Do not breath the hot fumes from this pot!
Add the dal mixture to this pot, enjoying the loud "chuuum"
sound as you pour.
At this point the mixture can be kept on hold for hours.
- Soon before serving, be sure the dal is hot. If you had not
put it on hold, leave the mixture to simmer another 2 minutes, letting
the flavors blend; cover the pot if you don't want to lose
moisture, according to how soupy you want it to be. I prefer this
to be a bit thicker than a thick split pea soup.
- Add the lemon juice and chopped cilantro, and stir.
Start with about 1/2 oz. of lemon juice,
and add enough to just begin to get the blending in of the
lemon flavor. It is ready to serve in a minute. Even though the
lentils are salmon-colored, the final result is a dark yellow.