A big bowl of Indian Comfort

I truly believe that any Indian food is Comfort food! With all the ingredients, time and commitment that goes into its preparation, eating Indian food totally relaxes me and put me in my “happy” place.

Certain dishes in the Indian cuisine, as very simple to make, take very little time and effort and are all-time favourites, especially when one desires comfort. Dal is one such dish. Dal or lentils, is a staple in Indian cuisine. It is eaten in almost every part of India, each having their own variations and tastes. On average, almost every Indian meal consists of rice, rotis, dal and a vegetable, accompanied by pickles, raita (youghurt) and salad.

Dal is a no-brainer when we come home tired and just want something soothing to the soul. With the winter coming at such a fast pace, this is definitely something that will bring comfort to both, your heart and stomach!

This recipe is very simple one and one of my hubby’s favourites!

Dal Fry (Indian-style fried lentils)

Ingredients:

1 cup red masoor dal (red lentils)
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped green chiliies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp aniseed
a pinch of asafoetida powder
salt, to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
fresh chopped coriander leaves for garnish
2 tbsp ghee
water, as needed

Method:

Boil lentils in about 1-2 cups of water till they become soft. Add more water as required.

Heat ghee in a pan and add asafoetida, cumin and aniseeds. When they start to sizzle, add in the sliced onions and fry till slightly brown.

Add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder, green chillies and tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes till tomatoes dry up.

Add the boiled dal alongwith a little water, depending on consistency desired and let come to a boil.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 28th, 2005 at 11:51 am and is filed under Recipes: Vegan, Recipes: Vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.