bangladeshi masoor dal

i received a lovely gift last year from john, one of my colleagues in the new york office of my company. when he found out that i was passionate about cooking, he took the trouble to get me an autographed copy of madhur jaffrey's from curries to kebabs. it turned out that john's fiancee's parents were neighbours of the jaffreys and so he was able to give me this special gift.

i tried my first recipe from this book over the weekend and was very pleased with how well my dal turned out. it was simple and wholesome yet had a very distinctive flavour. madhur jaffrey explains in the book that most lentils are boiled in the same way all over the world and it's the seasoning that makes the difference. this bangladeshi version of masoor dal is cooked with a final tarka of panchphoran which is a spice mixture containing equal portions of whole cumin, fennel, mustard, fenugreek and nigella seeds.

serves 4

1 cup red lentil
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 medium onion, sliced into very fine half-rings
1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons corn oil
1 to 2 dried whole hot red chillies (i used 4!)
1 teaspoon panchphoran

put the lentils, turmeric, and half the sliced onion in a lidded pan with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. do not let the pot boil over. skim off the scum that rises to the surface with a slotted spoon. partially cover with the lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, or until tender. add the salt and mash the dal and onion well with a potato masher.

in a small pan, heat the oil until very hot. put in the chillies. as soon as they darken, put in the panchphoran. stir once and put in the remaining onion. stir and fry until the onion turns reddish-brown. pour the oil and seasonings into the pan of lentils. cover the pan quickly to trap the aromas.



enjoy this tasty masoor dal with homemade chapatis, bhindi masala and a few slivers or raw onion.