Masala Dahl

I have posted this a few years ago, and it is one of my tried and true lentil recipes that I make again and again. Also this post got quite a few views, but I didn't have the comments activated at that stage of blogging (it took me a while to get into that! What was I thinking!), so it would be good to get some comments now.

In my original recipe I used some masala powder that my friend Mahendra Motibhai - Patel from Fiji gave me (yes, it is his own brand). The package is great and the spice mixture smells highly aromatic and fresh. I love Indian food, I tried to make up a few recipes with the Motibhai masala, and I was particularly pleased with this one.

Well, the Motibhai masala is long finished now, so I use any type that I can get (do you have any brand to suggest?), but here is my original recipe.

Please note that Dahl is usually a soup and the lentils are small, but I had some green organic lentils which I wanted to use, and I was looking for a thicker consistency.

I sautéed for 30 seconds half tsp of turmeric and half tsp of cumin seeds with a little rice bran oil. Then I added a finely chopped onion and one tbsp of masala powder. Then the lentils, which had been rinsed, and then soaked for 30 minutes. I covered with water and added a big hot whole chili. After 30 minutes I added a little salt to taste and, just because I felt like it, a tbsp of butter (this is not necessary, of course). It was perfect, warm, fragrant, and mildly hot. 

Serve with basmati rice.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©



Also, I would like to acknowledge this.

image from http://teebriciole.blogspot.co.nz/