Dal fry

Ingredients

• 1 cup Toor dal
• 2-1/2 cups Water
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric
• 3 tbs Ghee
• 1 cup Chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 2 Bay Leaf
• 1 tbs chopped Green Chilli
• 2 tsp shredded Ginger
• 2 tbs Cilantro
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Garam Masala

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. Rinse the toor dal and leave it to soak in plenty of water for at least an hour, then drain.
2. Put the dal in a pan with 2-1/2 cups fresh water, the salt and the turmeric. Simmer on a medium-high heat until soft and the mixture has broken down into a thick, soupy consistency, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, warm the ghee in a separate frying pan. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and let them sizzle and pop.
4. Stir in the bay leaves, green chilli, ginger and red pepper, and cook briefly until fragrant.
5. Tip in the chopped tomatoes with the extra salt and sugar. Cook, stirring now and then, until the tomatoes soften into a soft, jammy mass.
6. Add the coriander and garam masala and cook for about a minute more.
7. Pour this tempered mixture into the cooked dal, stir through and let everything bubble together for a final minute.
8. Serve hot with naan.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.