Spicy lentils
- 400g red lentils
- 1.5 litres water
- 4cm piece of root ginger chopped small
- ¼ teaspoon of ground tumeric (haldi)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of chilli powder
- 1 tomato quartered
For the terka
- 4 tablespoons of oil
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
Boil the lentils, water, ginger and tumeric in a heavy saucepan – simmer for 15 minutes, removing the foam that sometimes comes from the lentils (I rinse the lentils a few times first). Add salt, chilli and tomato and simmer for another 10 or 15 minutes. Transfer to a nice dish.
The ‘terka’ (means ‘something fried’) is made by heating the oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan and frying the onion and garlic until crisp and warm honey brown, about 3 to 5 minutes on a medium heat.
Pop the terka onto the top of the dal and serve with naan and yoghurt.
Adapted from Ismail Merchant’s Indian Vegetarian Cooking, a Sainsbury Cookbook, 1992.