Moosewood dal

this is my take on the dal recipe from the Moosewood cookbook, entirely vegan. this is not the actual recipe. the base recipe is thicker and not as spicy/seasoned as it is in the Moosewood book, but it can be if you want. more on that in the comments below.

for the lentils themselves, you will need:

  • 1½ cups of red lentils
  • 3 cups of vegetable or vegan chicken stock (Better than Bouillon is the most flavorful, but Edward & Sons is gluten-free)
  • ¼ teaspoon of turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • a can of coconut milk or cream

and for the "tadka", you will need:

  • 2 tablespoons of oil or vegan butter
  • ~1 cup of julienned onions
  • ½ teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric

first, prepare the dal itself. you'll want to rinse your lentils very well, swishing them in cold water and rinsing until the water runs clear. then you'll add your stock, turmeric, and salt, and bring to a boil. once it's to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. simmer the lentils until they are soft. for red lentils, this is pretty fast, so you'll want to check every few minutes to see if they are mushy. you'll also want to check and see if you need to add more liquid. (the original Moosewood recipe calls for 4 cups of liquid, and is soupier.)

while that's simmering, prepare your tadka. heat your oil or vegan butter over a medium heat and add your onions, caramelizing and slightly crisping them. once your onions have softened slightly, add the cumin and turmeric. this will bloom the spices and make them fragrant.

after the lentils are done cooking, add the tadka to them. finally, stir in coconut milk or cream until the desired taste and consistency is reached.

comments

why did I not just list the actual Moosewood recipe? well, one, because it's not mine. go get the book if you want Katzen's recipe. two, this is how we've prepared it in my family since my kid was a baby. I was introduced to this recipe by my kid's grandma, who prepared it for my kid, well, with probably less flavor than I would've lol. since then it's just become the base recipe we use for red lentil-based dals in our family. now we add different ingredients and flavors to it when we feel like it. the one pictured has garlic, lime, and spinach.

here are some modifications you can make that are delicious:

  • curried veggies: in addition to the tadka, you can fry some veggies in with it. at my house, we've tried cauliflower, mushrooms, and spinach. remember, if you're going to use spinach, finish with it at the end by putting it directly in the dal to wilt; don't fry it, or it'll overcook and taste like shit. chopped tomatoes work well, too.
  • garlic and lime: finely chop about six cloves (yes, six. don't be a fuckin' wuss lmao) of garlic. once your spices are bloomed and just before your onions are where you want them to be, add the garlic and fry it up for another minute. remember: garlic cooks up quick, so only stir it in the tadka for like a minute or two or it'll burn. after you've added the coconut milk and just before serving, finish with freshly-squeezed lime.
  • spicy: this recipe can be made spicy a variety of ways. the original recipe calls for putting two whole dried chilies into the lentils as they're cooking,and then 1 teaspoon of garam masala into the tadka. I usually add about 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper into the tadka.