The Recipe Room

When I was younger, my friends would complain that their mums always cooked the same things. One schoolmate ate a roast sandwich for lunch every day. Another girlfriend of mine confided in me that in her house, each day had an assigned dish: Mondays were for fish and chips, Tuesdays were bangers and mash, etc.

In my family, we ate a lot of Daal, the Indian word for lentils, but I never complained! There are four different types of lentils, and each can be prepared in many ways with a variety of flavours. This was useful for my Mum who tried to vary our menu.

I like my Daal spicy, but I tend to tone it down a bit when cooking for friends. Out of the many lentil recipes that I enjoy, I want to share this Tangy Red Daal with you. It isn’t quite as soupy as this hearty lentil and herb soup, but it is nice served with a bit of rice. I call it tangy because it has a bit of a kick, but it doesn’t sting your tastebuds, as other recipes might.

Ingredients:

• 200g red lentils
• 10g ginger
• 5g mustard seeds
• 10g fresh coriander, chopped
• 3 tomatoes
• 3 onions
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 5g ground cumin
• 5g cayenne pepper
• 6 cloves garlic
• 30ml olive oil
• 250ml water
• salt and pepper

1. Sort the red lentils on a white counter or table cloth to pick out any rocks or small pieces of dirt mixed in.
2. When finished, rinse in cold water. Bring water to the boil and add lentils. Semi-cover and let cook for 35 minutes or so until the lentils are soft.
3. Meanwhile, chop the onions, jalapeño pepper, garlic, ginger, bell pepper and tomatoes.
4. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the onion, garlic, ginger and peppers. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until onions are translucent and garlic is soft.
5. Add the cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir.
6. Add the tomatoes and keep stirring for another 6 minutes or so until the tomatoes are fairly well-cooked.
7. Transfer the vegetables into a big pot and add just enough hot water to cover the contents of the pot. Let boil for 6 minutes and then add the cooked lentils, stirring well.
8. Add salt and coriander to taste.
9. Pour into a bowl and garnish with coriander. Serve warm.

Serves: 6

Time: 75 minutes