dal not dull

i love my ayurvedic cookbook and would recommend the healing cuisine to anyone who wants to learn how to cook indian food.

one of the recipes i use time and again is the recipe for lentil zucchini dal. i've repeatedly made huge vats of this for parties and potlucks and it usually disappears quickly. yesterday i made it for lunch and it was the perfect thing on a saturday afternoon. it was accompanied by naan, yogurt and a cilantro chutney.

here is the recipe:

Red Lentil Soup with Zucchini

2 cups water
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 cup peeled and split red lentils, washed, soaked, and drained
2 small zucchini, cubed
Tarka:
1 tblsp ghee
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/8 tsp black cumin seeds
1 small dried red chili pepper, crushed
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

In heavy pan, bring the water, turmeric, and coriander to a boil. Stir in the lentils, zucchini, and salt. cover and cook over medium heat for 1 hour, or until soft.

To prepare the tarka, heat the ghee in a ladle or small frying pan. Add the garlic and tarka spices and saute until garlic and cumin seeds are well-toasted and fragrant. Add the sizzling tarka to the dal and cover immediately with tight fitting lid. Allow to stand for a few minutes, while the flavors blend.

Serve with rice, Indian bread, plain yogurt and a chutney or Indian pickle.

(some of my changes:

if i don't think ahead to soak the lentils it's no big deal. red lentils cook quickly regardless. sometimes i have to use a cup or so of additional water if they haven't been soaked. and i bring them to a boil along with the water.

in the tarka, i usually use a teaspoon or more of regular cumin seeds. black cumin is difficult to find, and i like the added flavor burst of using an extra amount of seeds. also, i often just use red chili flakes as opposed to crushing a dried pepper.)

i hope you enjoy this simple, flavorful delight!