Need a Great Masoor Dal Recipe (red lentils)

[umsami]

So, my friend Alicia makes the most incredible Masoor Dal. She learned from her Pakistani MIL. The key (or so she told me) is that she sautees her onions in ghee and then adds them in the end. It is like totally addictive. I'm so craving dal right now, and would love to make some for dinner...and she's out of town.

Does anybody have a great masoor dal recipe that they'd like to share?

[amma_mama]

Here is our "recipe":

Saute/temper chopped onion, garlic (chopped or crushed), brown or black mustard seed, curry leaves and one or two dried chilies (also optional). We don't use ghee, just vegetable oil, but it would deifnitely be better with ghee...Put to side.

Boil lentils with some curry powder, tumeric powder and "rampe"*. Add salt and lime half way through. If you don't have lime, use something else a bit sour (tamarind or something called "goraka"*). Add onion mix and some chopped cilantro toward the end. We sometimes add some coconut milk in place of some of the water, which is the Sri Lankan way.



*Rampe is a long thin leaf...I think it is the same as a pandan leaf - you can leave it out. Goraka is also the Sri Lankan name. I have no idea what it really is - it is dried, black, a bit rubbery, and sour. You toss in a couple of pieces and discard after cooking.

[Amatullah0]

my DH doesnt like it this way, but i do(as does my foster family).

its got moong and masoor daal in it. i use equal quantities of each(i.e. 1c moong daal, 1c masoor daal)

wash daal, soak for a while(1/2 hour to 3+ hours , depending on how much time you have, you can also skip the soaking) i wash the daal in the pot i'm going to cook them in.

boil them in as much water seems reasonable, you will probably add more water during the cooking process anyways. when i cook, i always keep a cup of water next to the stove, for if i forget that i'm cooking, and need to hurry up and add water before it burns.

add a small amount of turmeric(1/8-1/4 tsp?), cayenne pepper(depending on how spicy you like it), and salt(about 1 tbs, but you could just put a tiny bit and add more later, while you're eating it) to the water, and boil until it is a good texture. if you're going to eat it with rice, you'll want it thinner than if you eat it with flatbread.

fry(we like veg oil better than ghee) sliced onion with some cumin in another pan, until the onions are a nice brown color. add to top of finished daal, and mix it in. then you can put a little bit of ciilantro or parsely on top.

NAK/DS was helping me type

[MaxMommy]

This is one of my favourite sites...you might find a good recipe here. I love the Cauliflower and Red lentil Curry recipe found under Curries. I've done it with any number of different vegetables, and even with just onion.

http://www.indiasnacks.com/category/43/Dal.php

Good luck and happy cooking!

[columbusmomma]

Originally Posted by MaxMommy

This is one of my favourite sites...you might find a good recipe here. I love the Cauliflower and Red lentil Curry recipe found under Curries. I've done it with any number of different vegetables, and even with just onion.

http://www.indiasnacks.com/category/43/Dal.php

Good luck and happy cooking!

Thanks for the link
I am on a total Indian recipe making kick! DH and I are eating it every night! I posted looking for recipes on the vegetarian/vegan forum and someone posted this link which is fantastic!
www.manjulaskitchen.com

[Delicateflower]

Originally Posted by amma_mama

Here is our "recipe":

Saute/temper chopped onion, garlic (chopped or crushed), brown or black mustard seed, curry leaves and one or two dried chilies (also optional). We don't use ghee, just vegetable oil, but it would deifnitely be better with ghee...Put to side.

Boil lentils with some curry powder, tumeric powder and "rampe"*. Add salt and lime half way through. If you don't have lime, use something else a bit sour (tamarind or something called "goraka"*). Add onion mix and some chopped cilantro toward the end. We sometimes add some coconut milk in place of some of the water, which is the Sri Lankan way.



*Rampe is a long thin leaf...I think it is the same as a pandan leaf - you can leave it out. Goraka is also the Sri Lankan name. I have no idea what it really is - it is dried, black, a bit rubbery, and sour. You toss in a couple of pieces and discard after cooking.

That sounds so delicious. I wish I'd be bale to find any of those things here. None of our supermarkets even have garam masala, let alone tamarind paste.

[umsami]

Oh yum...thanks everybody.

I did try a recipe last night... called lemon lentils from Ismail Merchant. It was O.K., but I didn't like the cinnamon factor. I also made some good potatoes from my 5 spices book (not sure of exact title, but she does Indian food with only 5 spices (well, and ginger/garlic/onions).

[MaxMommy]

Originally Posted by columbusmomma

Thanks for the link
I am on a total Indian recipe making kick! DH and I are eating it every night! I posted looking for recipes on the vegetarian/vegan forum and someone posted this link which is fantastic!
www.manjulaskitchen.com

Thanks for this link!! I've checked it out and have bookmarked it....will definately be trying some of the recipes.

[amma_mama]

Originally Posted by Delicateflower

That sounds so delicious. I wish I'd be bale to find any of those things here. None of our supermarkets even have garam masala, let alone tamarind paste.

Yeah, we're lucky to live in an area with a lot of different "ethnic" groceries, so we can get most Asian vegetables and spices. It definitely makes cooking a lot more fun, and authentic. My husband is from Sri Lanka so we are always well-stocked with spices - I think we have a dozen different curry powders in our pantry, not to mention all the individual spices!

[redvlagrl]

I don't use a recipe for mine, but I was told that the trick to awesome Indian is to really cook the onions down until they are golden brown in lots of ghee for ages - like 40 mins. Then reserve half to add at the end, add panch phora (a whole spice blend) and turmeric, red lentils or whatever dhal you want, water or stock. Then I add garam masala and a queeze of lemon at the end along with the reserved onions.