Mung Tamarind Dal

Contrary to some people's expectations, nothing beats the summer heat like a spicy hot dal from south India — where they ought to know about beating heat, after all. But if the idea of plenty of fresh and dried hot chilies makes you sweat a little, tamarind infuses this refreshingly light and fragrant dal with a sour and sweet tang that pushes the heat to almost a pleasant undertone. Wonderful for lunch or a small dinner with a plate of hot rice to spoon a little of the colorful dal liquid over top.

The instruction for a 1-inch piece of tamarind is based on the cake form of the dried pulp sold in every Indian and Asian grocery here in North America. Likewise the brown mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida called for in this recipe are always easily found at Indian stores.

Mung Tamarind Dal

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Indian Published on July 17, 2008 Simple creamy, fragrant and spicy dal curry with sweet green mung beans and the sour and sweet tang of tamarind Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup dried whole mung beans 1-inch piece of tamarind pulp 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds 2 dried whole red chilies 6 curry leaves, fresh or dried 1/2 teaspoon asafetida 4 red cayenne peppers, seeded and minced 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped Instructions: Rinse the mung beans and soak for 6 hours or overnight in several inches of water. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with 2 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 1 hour or until the beans are soft and broken up. Set aside. Meanwhile soak the tamarind in 1 cup of hot water for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid into a bowl, squeezing as much liquid as possible out of the tamarind pulp. Discard the pulp and set aside the liquid. Heat the oil of ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, toss in the mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves and asafetida. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to splutter, usually a few seconds, quickly add the tamarind liquid and stir in the red cayenne peppers and turmeric. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the raw smell of the tamarind fades — about 15 minutes. Pour in the undrained mung beans and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes while the flavors mingle. Stir in the salt and taste for seasoning. Serve hot garnished with the finely chopped cilantro in warm bowls alongside plates of hot fresh cooked white rice. Makes 4 main servings