Masoor Dal with Cumin Seed Tarka
Easy red lentil side dish or main dish
Ingredients:
8oz/225g red lentils
1 pint water
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
Dressing
1 dessert spoon butter
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon GGG (ginger, garlic and green chilli mix)
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Garnish
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 dessert spoons chopped coriander leaves
Method:
Place the lentils, salt, turmeric and water in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer-cook for about 15 minutes until lentils have softened. Stir to ensure that mixture is not sticking and add more water if needed.
Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the butter until hot and cook the cumin seeds for a minute until you can smell their flavour. Add the GGG and cook gently until softened. Add tomatoes and stir fry for a minute. Add the spices and cook briefly until you can smell them.
Pour the mix in to the dal and stir through.
Garnish with the garam masala and coriander
My Tips:
Having frozen portions of GGG (crushed ginger, garlic and green chilli) in the freezer makes this even quicker. I serve with roasted carrots with cumin to give different textures.