I’ve always enjoyed lentils as a quick-to-cook legume, and at some point I picked up Tarla Dalal’s “Dals” cookbook. Between that and living near Vik’s Market in Berkeley I had an excuse to try a range of dals (which I realize refers to more than just ’lentils’).

Over the past few years I’ve gravitated towards chana dal (small split chick peas), and this general preparation– a hybrid of Mark Bittman’s “Chana Dal, New Dehli Style” and recipes from the above cookbook. Chana dal doesn’t cook quite as quickly as, say, red lentils (~70 minutes vs. 15) but if I’m already making rice or something else, how fast the legumes cook isn’t what limits how-long-until-dinner. And I enjoy the flavor and texture.

Base recipe (for two people + leftovers):

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer:

  • ~4 cups water
  • 1 cup chana dal
  • 4 green cardamom pods*
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ~1 tsp turmeric**
  • ~2 tsp salt

*When cooking just for us, I typically leave these whole cardamom pods in, try not to blend them, and we can pick them out when serving. But if cooking for others I go to slightly more effort and put them in a twist of cheesecloth to make them easy to pull out later.

**I like to use the Diaspora Co Pragati Turmeric which is so flavorful, and I go through enough that it’s generally always fresh– other turmeric I’d probably use more of.

Bring to a boil, stirring a few times at the beginning so the dal doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Be careful and use a deep enough pot– it can briefly foam up just as it comes to a boil.

Simmer for ~50min, uncovered, adding more water if needed. It’s hands-off at this point so I’m focused on whatever else is for dinner.

Taste– if the dal is tender, I remove the bay leaf (and cardamom pods if possible), then pulse it with an immersion blender. Not to a fully smooth texture, but to break up the dal a bit which also helps it thicken. At this point I sometimes add additional ingredients I wouldn’t want to cook too long or blend, such as:

  • Carrots, cut into discs
  • Paneer (or– don’t judge me– a mild feta), cut into large cubes
  • Some rough-cut tomatoes (especially if I’m drowning in garden tomatoes)

I simmer another ~15 minutes to further cook (it will thicken even more once it cools), taste, and add salt if needed. In parallel I make a tadka, using:

  • a few Tbsp ghee (or if I don’t have any, a neutral high-temp oil)
  • a few cloves
  • ~2 tsp mustard seed
  • ~6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • a small dried hot pepper
  • Sometimes: a few green cardamom pods
  • Sometimes: an inch of ginger cut into matchsticks

I heat the ghee until sizzling hot (note to self: medium-high), add everything except the garlic, and swirl the spices for ~20s as they sizzle and pop, until I can smell them. Then I add the garlic slices. The moisture in the garlic drops the temperature a bit, but I also turn down the heat here to avoid burning the garlic– I did that once and had to throw it out and start over. After a few minutes I strain*** this flavorful ghee. When the dal is done, I stir about half of the tadka in, then pour the rest on the top to serve.

***Most recipes say to use the whole tadka, spices and all, but I don’t love having the sliced garlic in the final dal. Maybe I’ll try cutting the garlic cloves only partially-through so it’s easier to pull them out while leaving the whole spices in…

On a parting note: leftover dal is so versatile. I even like it for breakfast with a fried egg and toast: