Dal and Roti are among India’s oldest food items. They are the most basic vegetarian diet available. The closest equivalent in the West can only be Bread and Butter. They even occupy the same mental space as B & B. Earning one’s livelihood is often said as“Earning one’s Dal Roti”. There are like a 100 varieties of lentils and pulses, each of which can be cooked in many different ways. Each region, each household have their own tweaks n versions. In all, this humble lentil soup can probably be cooked in a thousand different ways and these variations are equally healthy, as lots of traditional spices like turmeric, cumin … are used along with the already protein rich lentils. A true Indian meal would not be complete without Dal Maggie Beauty!

This is a North Indian version Dal as far as i remember and my mums recipe ! She used to serve this with tandoori roti but i think i’ll just pass with the regular roti !

To start you’ll have to get these two lentils shown below. Don’t have the English names for them but are very easily available at all Indian stores or supermarkets which store Indian stuff … duh … the same thing :)) .The one on the left is called Yellow Moong Dal and is smaller in size.The one to the right is called Tuwar Dal and is slightly larger in size…though both are just called yellow dal Maggie Beauty!

Start with soaking the lentils separately in warm water for two hrs.Then pressure cook the tuwar dal for about 2 whistles and then open the cooker and add the moong dal and let it cook further for 2 more whistles. Set aside.The reason we do this, is moong is softer that tuwar and if we cook them both together then we wont have the thick texture in the dal and it would be very smooth and runny .Thought there is nothing wrong with that, i just like the chunkier version.
Now in another pot start frying the ginger, garlic and onion in the olive oil till it is soft. Add in the tomatoes and cook it till it disintegrates and add in all the spices except the garam masala.Let this cook well for about 5 mins and then add the boiled lentils to this.Mix throughly and let it simmer on a slow gas for about 10-15 mins. Meanwhile prepare to temper the dal…or like we call it … the “Tadka”.Take a really small pot…the smallest u have in the kitchen and heat the ghee in it. Once its all hot add the dried red chillis and stir around till fragrant.Be carefull it might splutter, add the garam masala and instantly put it all into the dal.This really fills up the kitchen with a wonderful aroma.Usually my mum would use curry leaves as well but they are very difficult to find around here so i manage without it.But if u ca get your hands on some Indian ones…please go ahead and use it. Check for salt. Squeeze the lime, garnish with corriander, slice some raw onions and serve it with hot rotis…! this food touches the soul Maggie Beauty!