Red Lentil Dal to go with the Vindaloo

Hi,

This dal is the perfect dish to go along with the Vindaloo. The only downside of Indian food is that when I cook Indian, there are always lots of pots and pans to clean.

Red lentils are available in a well stocked grocery store, they are more expensive than brown lentils, but they cook up to a beautiful golden color.

1 1/2 cups red lentils
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Wash the lentils to remove debris. Place lentils in a medium pot with 2 cups of water and turmeric. Stir and heat to a simmer. Cover so some steam can escape and watch that the lentils don't boil over. Cook for about 20 minutes until tender. The water should be pretty much gone.

3 tablespoons oil
generous pinch of ground asafetida (you can find this at an Indian market, if you can't find it, don't worry)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 to 5 dried hot red chilies

Just before the lentils are done, heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot put in the asafetida and cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for a few minutes. Put in the red chilies and cook until the chilies start to turn dark red. Lift the lid on the lentils and pour in the oil and spices.

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add in the salt and taste. There you have it. Indian!

Hugs,
Mameekosan