scp@cs.arizona.edu (Sean C. Purcell) (04/07/91)
I don't know how close this will be to what you ate at your friend's party, but this is what I make and eat as dahl. Cheap, and good too! Dahl 2 tsp tumeric 1 tsp cayanne 2 tsp paprika 1 tbsp cumin 1 cup red lentils, washed 1 medium onion, chopped fine 4-5 cloves garlic, minced oil Boil lentils in water with tumeric, cayanne, and paprika. Meantime, sautee onions and garlic in more oil than necessary, stir in cumin. Add to lentil mixture, cook to a thick paste. Serve warm or cold with a flat bread, like pita, tortillas, or lavash. Note: you may want to adjust the spices depending on how hot you like your food (e.g. 1 tsp cayanne may be too hot, I usually use ~ 1/2 tsp). I've also seen other recipes for this, in places like the Moosewood cookbooks, which call for coconut milk and a few different things. Enjoy... --Sean
tonse@csa1.lbl.gov (Shaheen Tonse) (06/04/91)
Here is an additional recipe for Dahl, which I feel obliged to share with you all since several people tell me it is the best dahl they have ever had. Anyway.... Ingredients: 1.5 cups masoor dahl (orange in colour). Vegetable oil 3 dried red peppers 1 tsp mustard seed (tsp = teaspoon) 0.25 tsp asafoetida 1 medium onion 1.5 tsp coriander powder 0.5 tsp turmeric powder salt to taste. Put dahl in about 3 cups water and let boil. It normally takes about an hour for the dahl to break up and pulp, however what I do is to start soaking it in water before I leave for work. This way it takes much less time to cook when boiled later. (gas, electricity SAVINGS!!) Spice Mixture: (To be added when dahl is about 80% cooked or even earlier if you like) Slice the onion into thin slices. Heat the oil in a frying pan, when hot, add red chilies and mustard seeds. After seeds pop, add the asafoetida, and immediately turn down the heat. Add the onions, start frying on low heat until they are "transparent", then turn up heat until they are quite brown, but not burnt black. Add coriander & turmeric and turn down heat. After a minute, add about 0.5 cup of the boiling dahl mixture to the frying pan and stir energetically so that the spice mixture gets mixed well, and onions break up. Pour it back into the dahl pot, add salt, cook for another 10 minutes or until dahl is done, whichever comes later. Eat with rice, and tastes good with Patak's Garlic Pickle or Patak's Prawn Balichow on the side. Enjoy, Mr. Patak. (just kidding).