Loup Studio

Ingredients:

Serves 2 for main and 4 as side.

Red lentils – 2/3 handfuls

Ginger – thumb size piece

Garlic – 2-4 cloves depending on taste

Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

Ghee or Coconut oil – 1 teaspoon (optional) + 1 tablespoon

Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon

Yellow Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon

Dried red chili

Spinach – optional

Salt and Pepper

To garnish:

Yogurt

Lemon

Coriander

Method:

1. Put your lentils in the saucepan and soak them for a few minutes. Pour out the water and rinse the lentils. Now add fresh cold water to cover your lentils by about an inch

2. Put the pan on to boil – allow it to come to the boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Add a pinch of salt. Spoon off any white scum before adding in the other ingredients.

3. Grate in 1 or 2 cloves of garlic. Peel your ginger and then grate in the ginger too. Add a teaspoon of ghee if you want it creamier. Add ½ teaspoon of turmeric.

4. Leave it to simmer uncovered, stirring from time to time, for between 15-20 minutes. If all the water evaporates during the cooking time, add a touch more.

5. Once the lentils and water have bound together to create the dal consistency, turn it down a little further while you do the tempering.

6. Put your wok/small frying pan on a high heat, but not so high that you’ll burn the garlic! Add in the ghee/coconut oil and let it get nice and hot.

7. Add in your cumin seeds and chilli, followed by mustard and garlic. If you want to add in coriander stalks go ahead but it’s a bit niche to me and my adoration of the herb!

8. Fry these off in your fat for a few minutes, until the garlic has turned light brown and a little crisp!

9. Add the tempering straight into your dal pot and mix it through.

10. Taste to see if you need to add more salt. Then add pepper as this activates the healing properties of the turmeric. I add a squeeze of lemon too. If you want, stir through some chopped spinach.

11.  Serve with chopped coriander and some yogurt. Have simply on its own, with rice or as part of a curry feast as we do in my family household : ) 

Enjoy! L x