Spicy Masoor Dhal Curry

Dhal-Roti….a combo you’re sure to hear anywhere in India; be it the small clumsy dwellings to affluent classy bungalows or the innumerable petite street hotels to the multi-starred restaurants…a commonly used phrase in Indian cuisine symbolizing its’ sheer simplicity and ethnicity worldwide…. A perfect duo too, holding a very prominent place in Indian cooking menu, soaring high quite invincible at the topmost position on the list and still going sturdy. A fully satisfying dish, showing its eminence especially at lunch/dinner would in fact induce you to a good night sleep after having something simple yet the one that tastes simply great and out of this world…. Something that’d even draw out the native ness in you by bringing out your homeland’s feel, touch and smell in your dreams as well…even if you’re miles apart from it. A rather elongated thinking…isn’t it??? :D

Coming to the topic, Dhal or Lentil curries can be made in fact in quite a different form of varieties…thx to its extreme popularity all over the country and regional cuisines playing an important role in exhibiting an array for us to choose from; the basic procedure remains the same though…. And if you’d ask me to put it in a single line, dhal curry is simply cooked dhal seasoned with salt and chilly powder finally garnished with a tempering and coriander leaves…quite reminding me of those taunting days of being a “struggling cook”, when I too was taught the same conventional recipe to make this simple curry for dinner…. Honestly, the persistent formula that I had been gulping all these days became really monotonous and obviously made me quite averted to it. And thx to the “spice syndrome” too that has inculcated me off late so much so as to urge me again to concoct this rather spicy dish…. And believe me, the results were absolutely not disappointing at all…. :-)

So, here’s how the simple recipe for this really spicy dish goes….

You’d require
A cup of Masoor dhal (Red lentils)
A medium sized Onion
A medium sized Tomato
A couple of Green chillies
Ginger – A small piece (optional)
3 – 4 Garlic pods
1 tsp or more of Kashmiri chilly powder
1 tsp of Sambhar powder (optional)
A pinch of turmeric powder
½ tsp or more of Garam masala powder
1 tsp of Cumin seeds
Whole spices - A Cardamom pod, a Cinnamon stick broken into two, a couple of Cloves, a pinch of fennel seeds and a few black peppercorns
Salt – As required
Ghee/Butter/Oil – 1 - 2 tbsp

Method:-
1)Wash the dhal well and cook it in a vessel till soft and done. You can also pressure cook it upto 1 - 2 whistles as I often do.
2)Chop the onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and green chillies into fine pieces.
3)Heat ghee/butter/oil in a kadai.
4)Crackle cumin seeds followed by the whole spices and stir for a while.
5)Add the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies and sauté till they turn light brown.
6)Add chopped tomato and sauté till it gets blend well.

7)Add the powders and stir, till the whole thing gets mixed well and you get rid of the raw smell of the powders.
8)Add the cooked dhal along with enough water and salt. Mix well.
9)Add chopped coriander leaves and simmer for a few minutes till you get the desired consistency.

10)When done, remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

So, there you are!!! A spicy dish to spice up your dinner is ready in 10 easy steps and that too, within minutes before your table is all set for dinner. However, a word for mild taste buds…. “You can omit the inclusion of the whole spices or reduce it accdgly…” And as for the spice freaks, “Plz ignore the above suggestion and go right ahead with emptying your spice box…” :)

You can make this curry with any type of lentils available like Moong dhal or Sambar dhal etc. But when made with Masoor dhal, it tastes simply heaven. On nutritional aspect too, dhal curries do not disappoint us as they provide us with good and valuable source of protein. Low in fat, high in fiber, vitamins and minerals, inclusion of lentils in daily diet is extremely good for your body. And therefore has been undoubtedly recognized as one of the five healthiest foods.

So, do make yourself a spicy dinner with a really highly spiced curry and be prepared to plunge yourselves into the reminiscent world of your native land and breathe in that fragrance and feel of your native soil and spices. Bon Voyage!!! :-)

And on that farewell note, happy cooking!!!