Dal Fry

Dal Fry is essentially a lentil (dal) stew cooked with a lot of Indian spices, thick enough to be had with a bread and runny enough to be poured over a bed of rice.

It was raining like crazy today and the weather just got a tiny notch cooler. I wanted to cook something warm & cozy but quick, and there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of hearty dal fry with jeera rice.

A 20 minutes recipe from start to finish if you have your pantry stocked with the correct lentils

Spices essentially make or break an Indian recipe. I always had this question growing up why the dal fry at home wouldn't taste as good as that in the food-trucks/small scale restaurants alongside the highways (Dhabas) in India. It all boils down to spices.

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked dal (I used toor, moong, urad and masoor dal in equal parts, usually toor and moong are good)

• 1⁄2 cup chopped onion

• 1⁄2 cup chopped tomatoes (de-seeded)

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 tsp Ginger, Garlic & Green chili paste

• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Spices:

• 2 tsp cumin seeds

• 1⁄4 tsp asafetida

• 2 tsp red chili powder

• 1 tbsp coriander & cumin seed powder

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp garam masala

• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot on medium heat, add one tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add 1⁄2 cup chopped onions and cook them until translucent

2. Add the 3G paste and cook it until the raw smell goes away which will be approx. 2 minutes

3. Let the onions go golden brown, at this stage add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt to make the tomatoes cook faster. Stir everything together and cook until the tomatoes are mushy

4. Add 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tbsp coriander & cumin seed powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala and cook the spices until fragrant. Add a splash of water to prevent the spices from burning

5. Once the onion tomato mixture is cooked well (oil spearates), add the dal and add water (about 3⁄4 cup) to adjust consistency and also to prevent the cooked dal from sticking. At this stage, check for salt and adjust it as per your liking

6. The dal is pretty much ready, add the lemon juice after the dal is off the heat. In restaurants however, it is served with an additional tadka

7. Go to step 8 if you want to or skip to 9

8. Tadka: In a mini egg fry pan on medium-high heat, take 1 tbsp oil. Once oil is nice & hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter, then add 1 tsp minced garlic/garlic powder (optional), curry leaves, one whole dried red chili and 1⁄4 tsp asafetida. Now take it off the heat, add 1 tsp red chili powder and pour this concoction over the cooked dal fry.

9. Serve it piping hot over a bed of jeera rice (Rice fried with some ghee & cumin) or with any kind of Indian bread

So here is my attempt on the famous dhaba-style Dal Tadka. Let me know how it turned out for you. Good luck!