Proper Dal for Weeknight Cooking

Dal is not a recipe so much as a practice, one of those dishes that improves the more you make it, not because the technique is complex but because you begin to understand, over time, what it actually wants from you. It is the workhorse of weeknight cooking: inexpensive, nutritious, deeply satisfying and endlessly adaptable. It happens to be one of the most comforting things a human being can eat. 

Red lentils are the best starting point. Unlike puy or green lentils, they requires no soaking, cook in under twenty minutes, and collapse into a silky, porridge-like consistency that readily absorbs whatever you put near them. Rince 300g under cold water until the water runs clear, this removes surface starch and prevents the dal from becoming gluey. Place them in a saucepan with 900ml of water, bring to boil, and skim off any grey foam that rises. Add a generous pinch of turmeric, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

While the lentils cook, prepare the tarka, the tempered spile oil that is the soul of the dish. Heat three tablespoons of ghee or neutral oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high flame. Add a tablespoon of cumin seeds and let them splutter for thirty seconds. Add one finely diced onion and cook until it is deeply golden and beginning to catch at the hedges, about 12 minutes. Add three cloves of minced garlic, a thumb of grated ginger, two dried chilies and a teasopon each of coriander and garam masala. Stir for a further minutes until fragrant. Only a few more steps before you can eat your proper dal. 

Pour the tarka into the cooked lentils, add the juice of half a lemon, and season generously with salt. Stir everything together and taste. The dal should be savoury, slightly sour, and warmly spiced. Adjust accordingly. If it feels too thick, loosen with a splash of water. 

Serve with basmati rice or warm flatbreads, a spoonful of plain yogurt and a handful of fresh coriander scattered over the top. A few rings of fresh green chili for those who want heat. Here you have it, the proper dal of weeknights.