Toor Dal with greens
In our last member group call we talked about great grocery finds and one person brought to my attention two different types of dals that she bought at Costco. Each bag was 7 lbs and only about $11! We are in different states and I was only able to source one of them. Here's my take on Toor Dal and true to form in trying to add greens to just about everything, I threw in a handful of baby arugula at he end and let it wilt down.
Ingredients
Setup
- 1 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- 5-6 dried curry leaves
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
- 2 green chilies, slit lengthwise, optional
- 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- lime wedges
- handful of baby arugula, optional
Directions
Rinse the toor dal under cold water until the water runs clear. Soak the dal in water for about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot, add the soaked and drained toor dal, diced carrots, bell pepper, turmeric powder, and 4 cups of water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer uncovered.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan over medium-high heat, place the seeds in a dry skillet (no oil) over medium heat. Heat, shaking the pan and stirring often, until the seeds are fragrant and golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Add the finely chopped onions to the pan and sauté until they turn translucent and golden brown. Add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and slit green chilies (if using). Sauté for another minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook until they become soft and mushy.
Transfer the cooked onion and tomato mixture to the pot with the simmering dal and carrots and bell pepper. Stir everything together and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes, or until the dal and carrots are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and add more water if needed.
Using an immersion blender (stick blender), briefly blend the dal so that the base is creamy, but there is still plenty of texture. Or, you can take about 1/4th of the dal and blend it in a blender.
Season with salt to taste and add garam masala. Add arugula, if using, mix well, and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes so that all the flavors marry. A little squeeze of lime and yum!
Serve over brown rice or with naan.
Note: to add some heat, you can add red pepper flakes in when you add in the garam masala.
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