Mung Dal

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 25 minutes. Cooking/total time: 65 minute includes prep time

Gluten free, Vegetarian, Vegan (use vegetable oil instead of ghee/butter).

Serve with rotis/paranthas, brown wholegrain rice and a side dish of one of the ‘dry’ curries.

Mung dal with side garnish of red onions and tomatoes

Ingredients:  

Tarka 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (use 40g butter/ghee to give a more flavoursome/creamy dhal)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 whole cloves

1 medium onion, chopped finely

200g tinned plum peeled whole or chopped tomatoes or 3 fresh tomatoes skinned and chopped roughly

2 - 3 chillies (green finger), chopped finely

2 level teaspoons salt

½ -  ¾ teaspoon turmeric (haldi) - add the higher amount if using fresh tomatoes

 ½ teaspoon of garam masala

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated finely

Mung Dal

230g mung dal, sorted and washed (to remove stones etc)

900ml water

handful of chopped fresh coriander

garnish with a knob of butter or ghee and fresh coriander leaves

Method:

1. Wash and rinse the dal and place in a deep pan with c. 900ml of water. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down to a low to medium setting. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 35 minutes.

2. Whilst the dal is simmering, make the tarka. Heat the oil (butter or ghee) on medium heat until fairly hot (be careful with butter/ghee as these have lower smoking points). Add the cumin seeds and cloves and stir until they splutter (virtually immediately)

3. Turn the heat down to low/medium, add the onions and fry gently stirring occasionally until they soften.

4. Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric, chillies, garlic, ginger stir. Continue to cook gently, ‘mashing’ the tomatoes until a paste like consistency forms. I use a potato masher.

5. Add the garam masala, stir and cook for a further minute or so or until oil oozes out of the paste when a wooden spoon is dragged along the base of the pan

6. Add the tarka to the mung dal stir to combine. Bring back to the boil then turn down the heat to low/medium heat. Place the lid on the pan and simmer gently for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

7. Add the chopped coriander. Bring back to the boil on gentle heat, simmer for a minute or so.

8. Serve piping hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves and a knob of ghee or butter with plain boiled rice and chapattis.

Notes:

Serve with a side dish of Saag Aloo/Gobi Aloo/Bhindi or Baby Bhangan Aloo.