Saturday, January 30, 2010

Week 20: Easy Masoor Dal

I had trouble choosing a recipe this week because there were so many vying for the spot. Our quest for low GI foods and our discovery of lentils inspired this week's choice. Dal means split lentils. After looking at various other Masoor Dal recipes, I can say that this is definitely a simplified version. It even uses a microwave!

Some reviewers suggest soaking the dal for an hour or longer to speed up the cooking. Several reduced the amount of cayenne. I may try cooking the onions first, as suggested in the Oct. 28/2003 review. Also, this needs a good side - naan and samosas maybe.

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1 cup red lentils
1 slice ginger, 1 inch piece, peeled
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Directions
1. Rinse lentils thoroughly and place in a medium saucepan along with ginger, turmeric, salt and cayenne pepper. Cover with about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that forms on top of the lentils. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and soupy.

2. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe dish combine oil, dried onion and cumin seeds. Microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute; be sure to brown, but not burn, onions. Stir into lentil mixture.

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