Red Lentil Dahl

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil or olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 4 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste or tomato sauce

Directions:

In a 3-quart sauteuse pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.

Stirring constantly, add the water or broth, lentils, spices and salt. Bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat to low, cover and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are very tender.  For a denser dahl, remove the lid for the final ten minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste until well combined. Cook several minutes more or until the soup is desired temperature and consistency, adding more water to the dahl if needed.

Alternatively, use 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce and add with the water and other spices.


Myrtle's Note:  I had this with Stonefire Tandor Baked Naan.  Thus far, I have tried six different brands of Naan and this is the first one I thought was close to what I have had in Indian restaurants.  I keep it frozen straight from the store.  I also used Roland Red Lentils.  They were small and delicate and delicious.  Finally, the recipe here also has the salt cut down a bit. Other than a wee bit salty, I found this to be really delicious ... even though I did not yet have the coriander! I made it with tomato sauce, not paste.

Yield:  4 servings


Source:  http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/soupschilistews/r/lentildahl.htm