Kali Dal

This is one of those extremely easy (start it cooking in the morning, eat it at dinner) and delicious dishes that I could probably make and eat every day. Lentils has been a life-saver for me protein-wise (along with edamame) as a vegetarian who is not so fond of kidney beans or"tofurkey," and this is definitely my favorite dal so far. The only drawback to this recipe is the enormous amount of butter and cream, which honestly probably aren't necessary. We reduced the butter by a few tablespoons from the original recipe, and abstained from the cream in all but the first serving. Still, I reccommend making this for someone sick/down on their luck and going with full butter and cream to better convey your love and sympathy.

This dal is good with rice or naan and a dry vegetable (we usually do roasted cauliflower).


Kali Dal

1 cup dried kali gram (black lentils)
4 cups of water or vegetable broth or mixed
1 cup onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons ginger root, minced
1 small green chili, minced (optional, only if you want it to have some kick)
3/4 cup fresh tomatoes or 1/2 cup canned tomatoes, chopped
6 tablespoons butter or ghee
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon ground coriander
salt to taste

4 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 cup onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream or yogurt (optional)
1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped

Note: this recipe ideally takes 6ish hours to cook. If you're pressed for time, you can soak the beans for about an hour and then cook them on medium instead of low for about 2 hours. You really can't make it in less than 3.

Rinse your gram under cold water until it runs clear. Put them in a pot with the water/broth and bring it to a boil. Turn it off, cover it, and let the gram soak for about 2 hours.

Optional step: brown your butter to make it more ghee-like/nutty/fragrant/delicious: melt it in a pan and stir it on medium for a few minutes, scraping the bottom to kick up any burning milk fats. when it starts to smell awesome and is a nice deep brown, take it off immediately to prevent it from burning.

Add everything in the first list of ingredients to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Simmer with the lid slightly ajar for about 4 hours. If feasible, stir the beans gently every half hour, or at least once during the cooking process. Half-puree the dal by running half of it through the food processor or by immersion-blending it until you get a pleasing consistency. Taste it and adjust the spices/salt.

Prepare the tarka: Heat the ghee or oil over medium-high heat in a small skillet. When it is very hot, add the cumin seeds. When they start to pop (this should be very soon), add the onions and cook until they get brown and crispy.

Put the dal in a bowl and pour a little cream or yogurt over it. Top with the tarka and the chopped coriander. Enjoy!