Recipe: Tim’s Daal

I discovered this recipe scribbled down on a post-it note, covered in corrections from the first bunch of times that I made it. I had figured that it was gone forever. I tried making it again, and it came out awesome.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 1/3 to 2/3 c. Olive oil
• 2 tsp. Cumin (whole)
• 1 tsp. Fenugreek (whole)
• 1 tsp. Red mustard (whole)
• 1/2 tsp. Asafoetida
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. Coriander (finely ground)
• 1 to 1½ c. Onion, minced
• 2/3 c. Red lentils (rinse well)
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. Salt
• 5 c. Water or Stock (vegetable or chicken)

Method

1. Heat oil over medium heat (5).
2. Add the Cumin, Fenugreek, and Red mustard. Sautee until the seeds start to pop.
3. Add Asafoetida and Coriander. Mix in well.
4. Add Onions. Sautee for ~5 minutes, until onions are soft.
5. Add Lentils and reduce heat to medium-low (3). Sautee for ~15 minutes, until lentils and onions begin to caramelize.
6. Add Cayenne and Salt. Mix in well.
7. Add Water or Stock. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a light boil.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low (3) and simmer for ~60 minutes.