Spicy Tomato Dal

Check me out on the Bond-Appetit Podcast today! We talk about Nut Butters, pinterest, travel, Indian food (!!), and I reveal to the world that I have the least-classy taste in food e.v.e.r. Quesadillas FTW! Head on over for a listen!

Indian food train coming through AGAIN. Can't/won't stop. It's so good!

Dal is one of those things I didn't know I liked, until recently. We had it every morning for breakfast during yoga teacher training, and I LOVED it! I'd sprinkle in a big spoonful of seeds (sesame, sunflower, etc.) and a dollop of plain yogurt — perfection. Seriously. Yum. Then, I realized I had a bag of split yellow peas I needed to use! Woop!

The thing about this recipe, as you might notice from it being quite red instead of yellow, is that it is tomato heavy. Dal recipes vary greatly, and I basically just didn't want to have ½ of a can of tomato sauce leftover: so I used the entire can. EFFICIENCY, my friends! Efficiency. I also happened to use the most vibrantly red tomato sauce known to man (Cirio. This is not sponsored, just my observation) so it's much more red than it would be with another brand.

My favorite part about this recipe is how we get the SPICE! I poked holes in a few small green chilies and then threw them into the pot, whole, while they spiced up the dish! YUM. Don't skip it!

I served this with phulka, but it would also be good with naan, rice, yogurt, or alone!

Enjoy!

Spicy Tomato Dal

• Author: adapted from BBC Food
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 60 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cups dried split yellow peas
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 4 small green chillies, pricked with a sharp knife
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

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Instructions

1. Rinse the peas, then cook in 3 cups of water at a simmer until very soft (45 minutes). Add more water if necessary. Remove from heat, stir with a fork or whisk to break up some of the peas, and set aside.
2. In a blender, combine the garlic and tomatoes. Blend until smooth, then set aside.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the cumin and stir, cooking, for 20 seconds before adding the onion, green chillies, and minced ginger. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the tomato/garlic puree, along with the turmeric, garam masala, and ground coriander. Add ½ cup of water, stir to combine, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for 15-20 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
5. Add the lentils to the cooking tomato mixture after 20 minutes, and more water to achieve your desired consistency. Cook until heated through, then season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the fresh cilantro leaves.
6. Serve with rice or some sort of bread.

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