Tadka Dhal

Ingredients

For the base

• 200 g/7 oz toor dhal
• 750 ml/3¼ cups boiling water
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus extra to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

For the tadka

• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 green chillies, slit in half lengthways
• 10-12 fresh curry leaves large pinch of asafoetida powder
• 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
• pinch of fine sea salt

Additional

• 1 teaspoon palm sugar/jaggery
• freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon
• 5-6 fresh coriander/cilantro stems, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
• basmati rice, to serve

Method

Start by making the dhal base. Pick through the toor dhal to remove any stones. Place it in a colander and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear.

Transfer the rinsed lentils to a pressure cooker with the boiling water, salt and turmeric. Close the pressure cooker and place over a medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes or 9 whistles. (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you will first need to soak the picked and rinsed lentils in 1 litre/quart of boiling water for 4-5 hours. Drain, then transfer the lentils to a large saucepan with 1 litre/quart of fresh boiling water, the salt and turmeric. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then simmer over a medium heat for 60-70 minutes, topping up the boiling water as needed.)

Towards the end of the lentil cooking time, prepare the tadka. Put the vegetable oil into a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 1 minute. Add the garlic slices and fry for 30 seconds until golden brown. Add the chillies and curry leaves. Gently shake the pan to coat the ingredients in the seasoned oil. Fry for 30 seconds, then add the asafoetida powder. Stir in the tomatoes and salt. Reduce the heat to low and let the tomatoes melt into the tadka oil for 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly.

Meanwhile, when the lentils are softened but still holding their shape, release the steam from the pressure cooker slowly (or remove the pan from the heat). Most of the cooking water should have been absorbed, but gently crush the lentils with any that remains.

Add the cooked lentils, palm sugar/jaggery and lemon juice to the tomato mixture and mix well. Simmer gently for a final 6-7 minutes.

To finish, mix in the chopped coriander/cilantro and season to taste with salt again before serving. Garnish the dhal with extra coriander/cilantro, if you like, and serve with basmati rice.