"What a Dal"

Since it's been so hot and sticky out, I wasn't in the mood for turning on the oven or cooking over a hot stove.  Come to think of it, it's surprising that the thought of eating a warm dal dish sounded like a good idea.  However, after coming across a "Slow Cooker" cookbook at the library, I was inspired to give this dal recipe a whirl! 

I never really appreciated a good dal until I started making them at home myself. If you've eaten dal at Indian restaurants, you know that they're usually served as a side dish, and can range from being very watery and soup-like to dry and dense, like mashed potatoes. They make excellent meatless main courses, delicious and nutrient rich. But perhaps the dal you've experienced has been too watery, too bland, or just too uninspired to drive you into the kitchen to create your own.  Or, maybe indian food isn't your thing.  At any rate,  I feel like there are 1000 different variations to try and what a great opportunity to explore!

So, what's a dal you ask?   They usually consist of dried legumes such as lentils, split peas, and some kind of bean.  They are typically served as side dishes because if As side dishes the meal is spicy hot, you may want a mildly seasoned, bland dal to offset the heat and balance the flavors. Or, if you're serving the dal as a main course, accompanied by rice and bread, you may prefer a robust dal, with lots of ginger, chiles, and roasted spices to highlight it as the center of the plate.

I've come to consider dal a comfort food. There is something immensely satisfying about grains and beans together. Whenever I eat a good vegetarian chili, or minestrone soup I feel good & toasty inside.  It's hearty (without making you feel too full), nutritious and super easy to make.  If you're in the mood for a quick, easy, yummy dal - this recipe has your name on it :_)

I serve it with brown basmati rice with a spritz of lemon and a dollop of yogurt at table add extra tang. As with other legume dishes, dal freezes beautifully, so reheating a batch requires almost no labor. It's a great idea to keep a quart or so frozen so it's readily available for easy dinners or to take lunch to work.


LENTIL DAL 

  Ingredients

• 2 cups Dried Red Lentils, rinsed & sorted
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1-2 tablespoon Fresh Ginger, finely chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package Frozen Spinach
• 1 tablespoon Curry Powder (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Corriander (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard Seeds (to taste)
•  Red Pepper Flakes(to taste)
•  Ground Cinnamon(to taste)
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• Water, as needed

Directions

1. Just toss it all in there and cook on low 6-8 hours. check water level a few times to make sure lentils don't burn, add water if needed.  Serve with warm naan if you'd like!