Simple Lentil Curry Dish

This month, member of the team Naresh shares her recipe for a simple lentil daal. Serve with boiled rice, a green salad, and chapatis.

Ingredients:

1 cupful of red split lentils
1 small onion
1 fresh tomato
4 green chillies (add more if you like it hot)
A small block of ginger
3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of salt (you can always add more to your own acquired taste).
1 teaspoon of turmeric
Half a teaspoon of garam masala
1 large tablespoons of butter
A few sprinkles of cumin seed
Optional: fresh coriander or dried fenugreek leaves to garnish

Method

  1. First, boil the kettle as you will need boiled water for the lentils.
  2. Add lentils to a medium-sized saucepan.
  3. Wash them under cold water tap a few times and rinse
  4. Now add the boiled water into the pan of lentils and put it on the hob. Let it simmer slowly on a low heat.
  5. Meanwhile, dice the onion and tomato, and add straight to the lentils.
  6. You will then need to grind the green chillies, ginger and the garlic altogether in a blender. Add them to the lentils.
  7. Add your salt, turmeric and garam masala to the lentils, and a tablespoon of butter
  8. Give the lentils a good stir.
  9. You can turn the gas up to a medium heat, but do not cover with saucepan lid as they tend to boil over.
  10. Cooking the lentils for about 30 minutes.
  11. Keep checking and stirring. You will notice the texture getting thicker. If you find it is getting too thick, add a little water.
  12. Garnish the lentils with a little fresh coriander chopped, or a sprinkle of fenugreek leaves.