Empress Dal

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 3 whole dried red chilies
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 small garlic cloves, minced or 1/8 teaspoon asafetida powder
• 1 cup dried lentils, picked over, washed and drained
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon amchur (dried mango powder) or 1 lemon, juice of
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Recipe

• 1 combine the oil, cumin, red chiles and turmeric in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• 2 cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes.
• 3 add the garlic or asafetida, lentils, cayenne, and mango powder, if using, (if using lemon juice instead, stir in at the end), and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• 4 add the water and salt, bring to a boil and skim well.
• 5 reduce the heat and simmer, covered , until the lentils are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.
• 6 add more water during cooking if necessary. taste for salt and add more if you need to.
• 7 ladle about ½ cup of the lentils into a small bowl and mash them with a spoon.
• 8 return the mashed lentils to the pot and give the dal a stir. then continue cooking at a simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes to thicken.
• 9 if you like a thicker dal, use a whisk to break up the lentils into a puree. if you like a thinner dal, add more water. stir in the lemon juice, if using. serve hot.