by Wren Everett
4-6
SERVINGS
Hearty, flavorful, and hard to mess up, daal recipes are likely as numerous as the cooks making them. This is my version, which we often have for lunch on busy days when we don’t want to linger too long in the kitchen. The recipe works best with whole spices that’ve been ground just before cooking, though you can use pre-ground spices as well.
Ingredients
- 2 cups red lentils
- 1-1/2 cups brown rice
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 whole allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- 1 diced onion
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Plain yogurt (optional)
- Kalonji seeds (optional)
Directions
- Place red lentils in a large pot and cover with enough water so there’s an inch of water above the lentils. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and stirring occasionally, then shift to a slightly cooler portion of the stove surface before it foams over. Cook completely.
- Cover brown rice with enough water so there’s an inch above the rice, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on a cooler portion of the stove.
- Grind all whole spices. A large molcajete works well for this amount of spices, though a coffee grinder can also do the job.
- In a cast-iron skillet, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, and spices with the coconut oil. Add cooked red lentils and stir well. Taste and add more salt, if wanted.
- Serve lentil daal alongside brown rice, with an optional scoop of plain yogurt on top, sprinkled with kalonji seeds.
Learn how to cook on a cookstove.
