In reply to simon manc:
Dhal. Here's a recipe I found in the depths of the ukc archives that I posted years ago:
Put a generous amount of veg oil in a pan (or ghee if you've got it and want to accelerate the furring of your arteries). Add a sprinkling of black mustard seed and fry until they start to pop.
Add about 1/2 an onion finely chopped- worth their weight I reckon- with some chopped chilli and fry for a few mins.
Then add coriander seed, cumin and tumeric in about a 3:2:1 ratio and fry.
At this stage you may add further spices- fenugreek is good, also cinnamon bark, cardamom pods and of course ginger and/or garlic.
Fry a little longer until the mixture has combined- the spices need a bit of frying to release their flavour- and then add the lentils. Fry a little longer. With red lentils there's no need to soak beforehand. Then add water, bring to the boil and simmer.
What I usually do at this stage is to take it off the heat once it has boiled and let it stand with a lid on, occasionally giving it a bit more heat. In the meantime you can cook the rice or make chapattis if you want. Or guzzle wine.
A really simple dhal might omit much of the above and just consist of adding some roasted spices to the boiled lentils but I think that the more spices the merrier.
Season with salt if required and serve. Yum.
It does take a bit of time for best results but where's the hurry?
