Lately I have been experimenting with Toor Dal, trying different recipes. Mostly in the past, I made soups and dals with either mung dal or urad dal, but the toor dal has a unique flavor. In the Indian province of Gujarat, toor dal is so widely used that the word dal means only toor dal. Other dals are known by their specific names.

Recipe:

1 cup toor dal (washed and rinsed)

4 cups water

2 tsp salt

1 tsp tumeric

4 medium tomatoes (chopped or can)

Basic Massala:

2 tbsp ghee

1 tsp asafetida (hing)

2 tsp cumin seed

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves (garnish)

Optional:

1 tsp concentrated tamarind

2 fresh green chilies

Instructions:

Bring the toor dal, water, salt, and tumeric, to a boil for around 30 minutes, or untill dal is tender. Add tomatoes and tamarind (optional) and continue cooking.

Heat ghee, add cumin and cook till brown, add asafetida, grated ginger, green chili (optional). Then add to cooked dal.

Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves or parsley, and a slice of lemon.

Offer to Krishna!

Image from: Kitchen Mai