(serves 6-8)
This is the national dish of Nepal. I've never taken a fancy to lentils, but it seems now is the time to change. Apparently this is what Nepalis eat as their main meal, 2x/day - lentils with rice, with a few sides if you're lucky. For some mental stomach preparation for this, i attempted to make (and hopefully love) this dish... and was pleasantly surprised!
Having said that, we did cheat with the pre-packed spice mix that the Indian man from the Indian bazaar advised us... initially I thought this would be considered cheating (and still kind of do), but the difference it made was nothing short of amazing. Just gives the whole dish a bit of a spicy kick without being overpowering... definitely much more appealing than the bland lentils we started out with! We just might have to smuggle a little bit over, just in case!
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| Goodies from the spice shop from top left (clockwise); lentils, jimbu (Nepali spice), Dal Curry spice mix, ghee and asafetida |
Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 30-40 min
2 C yellow lentils
1 brown onion
1 tsp turmeric
1 T ginger
1 T garlic
1/4 tsp asafetida (gum powder)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp jimbu (Nepali spice, similar to dried dill)
6 C boiling water or broth (or half and half!)
1-2 T oil
Garnish
2 tsp ghee
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp cumin seeds, to garnish
1 tsp jimbu, to garnish
Method:
1. Wash and soak lentils for at least 10 minutes or preferably overnight, then drain.
2. Finely chop the onion.
3. In a pot, fry up the cumin seeds and jimbu in 1/2 T oil for 30 sec, then add in the onion, turmeric, ginger and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
4. Add in the lentils and stir through the onions. Add in the water/broth, bring to the boil then simmer for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are tender and the desired consistency (like porridge) is achieved. Season to taste with salt.
6. Serve warm with rice (baht) or naan bread.
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