Dal (Lentil) Curry

Sometimes tasty is not synonymous with aesthetically pleasing. Take dal for example. Dal is a lentil curry with the kind of murky brown coloration that is keeping it out of the food porn sites. But even though dal is no looker, she sure is easy.


I've had dried lentils for months and months now, but never get around to using them, because like all dried beans, the process takes too long. But Sundays are the perfect days to use dried beans because you have the time to do a little slow cooking. This dal curry is the kind of exercise in patience that would normally kill me. Several college roommates can attest that I wouldn't make 1 minute rice because it took too long. Well, dal requires boiling the lentils for 25 minutes, then cooking it even longer with the curry spices and veggies. All while cooking regular jasmine rice (sooo much longer than a minute). If you don't like waiting for water to boil, this is not your meal.

However, that's really the only hard part. Boil water with the jasmine rice inside, then turn down to low heat after a soft boil begins. Watch it because jasmine rice is delicate and can get overcooked (mine was just barely overdone, but it went there in a hurry). In another pot, boil the dried lentils. While waiting, avoid watched-pot syndrome by chopping up assorted veggies to add in to the curry. I sauteed 1/2 a large onion and 3 cloves of garlic, but didn't add anything else (tomatoes, spinach, carrots, and mushrooms would all party well). Once the lentils have visibly reconstituted and are larger and softer, drain off any water if necessary, add your veggies and curry spices (I used coriader, ginger paste, turmeric, chili powder, cumin, red curry paste, and garam masala). I also added some beef stock to add some more flavor while it simmered. Let it simmer to absorb the various spices, the longer the better. Serve the dal over the rice.