Weeknight Daal

• adagok: Serves 4 to 6
• aktív idő: 1 hour

Hozzávalók

1 1/2 cups (285 g) red lentils

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil"

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 teaspoons Diamond Crystal

kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed

5 garlic cloves

1 1/2 finely grated

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder"

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

3 tablespoons double-concentrated tomato paste*

6 cups (14 L) chicken broth plus more as needed

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus wedges for serving

Long-grain rice or crusty bread, for serving

Carrot Sambharo (page 190), for serving, optional

"INSTEAD OF

Olive oil, use vegetable oil

Yellow onion, use red onion

Garlic cloves, use a 2-inch piece

ginger, grated

Kashmiri red chili powder, use

A teaspoon cayenne pepper plus ½ teaspoon paprıka Tomato paste, use 2 cup canned

crushed tomatoes or 2 large Roma tomatoes, chopped Chicken broth, use beef broth or water

Lemon, use lime

Útmutatók

METHOD

Put the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve. Rinse under cool water until the water runs mostly clear. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft- ened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and turmeric. Stir to coat the onions in the spices and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes and tomato paste and cook, stir- ring often, until the tomato paste is darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, rinsed lentils, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt and stir. Bring the lentil mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to mnedium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are very tender and the curry is almost creamy, 30 to 35 minutes. If the broth has absorbed quickly, add more as needed. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste for salt and adjust the seasoning to your preference.

Serve over long-grain rice or with a piece of crusty bread for dipping, with lemon wedges for squeezing.

Store leftover daal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Reheat in a pot over medium heat until simmering, adding water as needed to reach its original consistency, or in the microwave in 1-minute increments until warm.

Jegyzetek

The daal I grew up eating on weeknights is most certainly not the kind of daal that I would make on a weeknight now. I don't have a presSure cooker and I refuse to purchase one--the old-school ones scare me and the electric ones take up too much counter space.

To enjoy this spicy wholesome lentil stew on a weeknight, I use red lentils only, instead of the traditional fifty-fifty blend of red lentils and split chickpeas I grew up seeing. Not only do they cook much faster than other varieties, but red lentils are also a lot easier to source at your aver- age grocery store, making this labor of love truly weeknight-friendly.

If you're looking for more protein, one of my lovely cross-testers suggested stirring in greens to wilt and poaching eggs directly onto the daal before serving.