Delicious Dal

So one question we get asked a lot is “What do you guys eat over there?” and we thought we’d continue our tradition of food entries and discuss a classic food of Bangladesh (well, really all of south Asia): Dal.

Dal really just means lentil, but it also refers to the prepared soupish medley of lentils and spices that most Bangladeshis eat at every meal, or close to it. We eat a lot of dal here- like really a lot. About two times a week Sam makes up a big pot of it, and we have it as either the main dish with some rice and salad, or as a side dish with egg curry or some other curry vegetable dish. It makes a big pot too, so we often have it for two days from each pot. It is a great and really healthy source of protein for us, cheap as can be to prepare, and Sam has worked dutifully to perfect her skills and the recipe. After a great deal of work, she has finally reached the point where she feels able to make changes here and there depending on our mood, and she has gotten a lot of compliments from Bangladeshis and non-Bangladeshis on the dal. So, we thought we’d share with you the recipe (in illustrated, narrative format!).

The basis for this recipe actually comes from Sam’s friends’ parents, who own a restaurant in New York City down on lower 2nd ave, where all the great Indian restaurants are (or used to be). Her parents are Bangladeshi and so this is a great traveling recipe- it went from Bangladesh to New York back to Bangladesh and now it goes to wherever you are! Sam has modified the proportions a bit, but basically this is a pretty standard dal recipe. A big part of South Asian cooking is the process – while it seems lengthy at first, the payoff is worth it and it is actually very soothing and nice to consider that you are recreatig a process people have followed for generations and generations (a nice change from our microwave and frozen food culture in the US).

So, first you start with lentils – not the brown lentils that are in the US supermarkets. This calls for yellow lentils and red lentils – mostly yellow. You can sometimes buy them mixed together, or, as Sam does, buy them separately and mix the proportion to your liking. Sam likes about 3:1 or 4:1 ration for yellow to red.

Soak the lentils in water for about 2 or three hours. This will make the cooking process faster and they will be tastier. If you absolutely can’t do it, skip the soaking, it will still work but will take a bit longer to cook.

After you drain the water off the lentils, give them another rinse. Then put them in a big pot with about 4 times as much water. Turn the heat to medium and bring them to a slow-ish boil. As they boil, a white foamy scum will form along the top. Skim that off as it build up. About twenty minutes in, the lentils should be softening up. Add in about 1 or 2 bay leaves, a couple of sliced or diced garlic cloves, and a small sliced onion (that is probably about ¼ of an American grocery store sized onion). Continue to boil for about ten more minutes.

Once the lentils are soft, take a potato masher and smash them up a little. Next add the following spices – the amount will depend on how much lentils you started with, but generally about 1 or 1 ½ cups of lentils makes a big pot of dal. So, add about ¾ Tbsp. turmeric, 1Tbsp EACH of ground cumin and ground coriander, and about ½ Tbsp of salt. Stir it all up- the turmeric is going to help break down the lentils.

Next, add about 1 or 2 chopped tomatoes, depending on how much you like in it. You can even skip the tomato, but we like it. Add in about 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger or ginger paste (don’t use ginger powder – it isn’t right). Smash it up a little more as it cooks down (yes, it is ok to smash the tomato a little too). Turn the heat to low and let it all simmer together.

Meanwhile, in a separate frying pan, heat about 1/3 cup-1/2 cup of oil (we deviate from tradition on this point and use olive oil instead of soybean oil because it is really kind of a lot of oil and at least olive oil is a little healthier). Add two or three dried red chilis – more if you like. Sam likes to take one and tear it in half and leave a few others whole. Cook them in the oil for a minute and then add about 2 Tbsp. of whole cumin seeds. Next add about 5 cloves of chopped garlic – about 3 Tbsp or so if you are using pre-chopped). Then add several sliced onions- the amount depends on what you like. Sometimes we have a really thick chunky dal with a lot of onion when we have it as main course, but sometimes we have a thin soupy dal with only a few onions. Generally, one or two big American sized onions would be a lot, so adjust it as you like. Fry it all together- it is a lot of oil, but the oil will be basically be the only fat added to the dish, so you need it to get the legumes to come together.

After the onions are nicely browned take the whole skillet full, oil and all, and dump it into the pot of dal.

Stir it all together. Now add about one lime’s worth of squeezed lime juice and about 2 or 3 Tbsp. of fresh chopped coriander (which it turns out is the same thing as fresh cilantro, it just has two names - go figure!). Add about one green chili chopped, and another de-seeded and chopped. Add more if you like it spicy- this recipe is kid-spiced, so it is fairly mild. Keep in mind that one goes a long way though, especially on day two when it has all melded together more. Stir and simmer for about a minute or two, check to see if it needs salt, and serve with rice.

Here is a picture of our thick version from the other night- it is heavy with onions and thickness. You could also do a soupy version by cooking it for less time and having more water. (You can also have thick one night and then make it thin the next day by reheating with extra water to stretch it a little).

You should serve some fresh lime to squeeze on top and a traditional salad of sliced cucumber, carrot, (and sometimes tomatoes) with limes and green chilis. Squeeze the lime on the sliced carrots and cucumber- it is so delicious and a perfect side to the dal and rice.

The other big part of dal and rice is that you really ought to eat it in the traditional way- with your hand (your right hand to be exact). This helps you appreciate the textures and the process of mixing it together with your rice in order to pick it up helps keep the rice/dal ratio. Basically, you mix it together to make a ball-ish mound, and then pick it up and plop it into your mouth, usually with your thumb. There is apparently an official, proper method for this, which we have worked hard to master, but then whenever we watch Bangladeshis eat, the method seems less standard-mostly you just shove the food into your mouth.

So, enjoy the recipe and we hope you give it a try! It is intimidating at first, but actually quite easy once it becomes familiar. Dal and rice is about as healthy as it can get nutritionally- it is well rounded, animal-product free, low calorie, and full of ingredients known to be super good for you (like garlic and turmeric!).