Just Good Dal

Sometimes there's a story behind a dish. You know, like, "I'll always remember when I first ate _______. It was springtime in Paris and I was a young lass fresh out of boarding school, making my way in the world for the first time. It changed my life, for that's when I first met...." etc. This is not one of those dishes. I have no epic story for dal – I just make it about once a week, it's a quick, easy, cheap source of protein, and it tastes really good. Perhaps there is an epic tale to be found in potato curry or yogurt rice, but those are stories for another day.

This is a South Indian style of dal (lentil stew). One of the South Indian elements of this dish is the use of mustard seeds, which are tempered in oil at the start of the cooking process. (Some folks do the tempering at the end and add the mustard seeds to the finished dish, but that's not the way I roll.) The mustard seeds add a pleasant nuttiness, but the trick is to fry them until they turn gray and start popping all over the place. If you don't do that, your mustard seeds will be bitter, and you will miss out on the pleasant nuttiness, which would be sad. I usually use a sliced yellow onion when I make this dal, but this time switched things up by using scallions instead. Either works just fine, but the scallions nicely accent the ginger, and make the dish sing just a little bit more.

One other note: I use mung dal when I make this. You could try other lentils, and I'm sure the result would be tasty, if unorthodox.

Oh, and one more thing: If you are unfamiliar with cooking Indian food this may seem a little complicated, but it really is easy enough for me to whip this up any time during the week. Just go to your local Indian grocery and stock up on the lentils and spices, and you'll be fine. Added bonus: Everything is much less expensive there.

Ginger Scallion Dal
To cook the dal:
1 cup mung dal, picked over and rinsed three times
About 3½ cups of water (you can always add more if things start to dry out)

In a medium-sized pot, bring the dal and water to a boil, skimming off any foam that appears. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until dal is soft and starting to become mushy. Add more water if the dal starts to dry out.

While the dal is simmering, you will need to cook the seasoning:
2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
1½ teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced in half lengthwise
⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
1 tablespoon cumin powder
2 bunches scallions, chopped in 2-inch pieces
1-inch length of ginger root, peeled and minced
Water
Salt
¼ teaspoon turmeric
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful of cilantro, chopped

In a large pot or very large saute skillet, pour the oil and begin to heat it on high. Add the jalapeno and mustard seeds, and wait for the seeds to turn gray and pop. Some will fly out of the pot, and that's OK. Immediately reduce heat and add asafoetida and cumin. Stir for a few seconds and take care to keep the spices from scorching. Add the scallions and ginger, and saute for a few minutes, until the scallions have started to soften. Add water to cover the scallions, salt, and turmeric. Simmer until the scallions are quite soft. Once the scallions are soft, add about 2½ cups of the cooked dal to the pot (or add all of the dal, if you are not reserving the bland stuff for children). Add more water if necessary, to reach the desired consistency. Add salt to taste. You will need a lot, as the dal you have added has no salt in it. Don't be afraid. Turn off the heat, then add the lemon juice and cilantro, and stir to combine. Serve with rice.