One of my favorite Hindi terms is “ghar ka khaana.” It literally means “home food,” but it also encompasses the singular joy and unfussiness of meals made in your own kitchen — the dishes that remind you of childhood, the ones you won’t often find in restaurants.
My quintessential ghar ka khaana? Dal.
To make dal feels like an alchemical feat, watching the pebbly lentils turn creamy, starchy and golden with turmeric. I love the sizzle of the hot, spiced ghee when it is poured into the lentils, the way that dal envelops a bowl of rice like a hug. The first time I published my mother’s recipes for dal in my cookbook, “Indian-ish,” it felt as if I was letting people in on a secret — a solution to their weeknight dinner woes, courtesy of my ancestors.
Across South Asia and its diaspora, dal — which refers to both the legumes and the finished dish — is inherently linked to comfort, whether simmered with coconut milk, sweetened with a little jaggery or topped with crisp curry leaves.
The recipe for dal is endlessly flexible. Mo Sherifdeen, a travel marketer in Portland who is Sri Lankan American, has added ketchup to his to temper the spiciness. I’ve added sliced garlic to mine, or let the lentils thicken to the texture of refried beans and stuffed them in a tortilla. But it’s my mother’s simplest, 15-minute version — which requires just masoor dal (red lentils), turmeric, ghee, cumin seeds, asafetida and chili powder — that I find the most satisfying.
_____
Everyday Dal
Total time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup red lentils (also known as red split lentils or masoor dal)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon ground red chili
- 1/8 teaspoon asafetida (optional but extremely good, see tip below)
- Rice or roti, for serving
STEPS
- Combine the lentils (no need to rinse them) with the turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan. If you like your dal a little soupier, add an extra cup of water here. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the lentils resemble a loose porridge. If the lentils are too thick, add a little hot water.
- In a small pan or pot, melt the ghee over medium heat and add the cumin seeds. Let them cook until they are aromatic and a darker shade of brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the red chili powder and asafetida (if using), let them toast for a few seconds until fragrant (the asafetida will give off a garlic-esque scent), then remove from the heat.
- Taste the lentils and add more salt if desired. Pour the hot ghee over the lentils — you can either stir to combine or leave it be, for a dramatic presentation — and serve with rice or roti.
Tip: Asafetida is a tree resin used commonly as a seasoning in South Asian cuisines. It has a wonderfully potent, sort of allium-esque flavor that adds depth to many dishes. It can be ordered online or found in South Asian grocery stores, and it is worth going out of your way to purchase — it really makes this dish sing. An imperfect but somewhat suitable substitute is garlic powder.