Spicy Lentil Indian Stew

Easy to digest and suitable for vegans if oil is used instead of ghee, this dish is easy to prepare and goes well with rice or roti. Urad dal combines nicely with the mung beans and channa dal with a delightful spice mixture. Pure comfort food indeed and simple to prepare for a mid-week meal. My husband quite enjoyed it.

Spicy Lentil Indian Stew

1/2 cup of urad dal, well rinsed
1/2 cup of split mung dal, well rinsed
1/4 cup of chana dal, well rinsed
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
4 fresh green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons of ghee, butter or oil
2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
generous handful of dried curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon of asafetida
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
small handful of fresh parsley or coriander, chopped

In a medium large saucepan, combine the rinsed dal with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, stir in the salt and turmeric, chilies and ginger, reduce the heat to medium low and cover and simmer until the dal is tender - roughly 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Puree the lentils with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor or blender.

Heat the ghee in a small saucepan over medium heat. When hot, toss in the cumin seeds and stir and fry for a minute or two. Add the curry leaves, cayenne and asafetida, stir and add to the cooked dal. Stir, and cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Serves 4.

More mixed dal recipes from Lisa's Kitchen:
Mixed Indian Lentil Dal
Marawadi Mixed Dal
Mixed Lentil Dal with Fresh Fenugreek Leaves

On the top of the reading stack: The National Post

Audio Accompaniment: rain