Dal (Indian Lentil Dip)

Tumeric is fun to play with. It has a nice aroma, and stains everything in the nearby vicinity yellow.

Dal

1 cup lentils, sprouted for a day or two
1 cup or more chicken stock
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp butter or lard or some other fat
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
several sprigs cilantro, chopped finely
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt  to taste, about a tsp

To sprout lentils, soak overnight in a jar with at least 3-4 cups filtered water. Drain, rinse, and keep in jar for a day or two with a cheese cloth or similar over the opening, and tilted so no water collects at the bottom. If you have a sprouting contraption, beautiful. Make sure to rinse once or twice a day.

Sauté onions and garlic in fat until onions are almost clear, a few minutes. Add stock and lentils and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until there is no more liquid, stirring regularly. (I used too much liquid when I made this before, so I’m approximating.) Add seasonings (taste along the way, cayenne makes it spicey really quick!) and add cilantro. Put everything in a food processor and puree until it is the consistency you like. This last step is not essential, but it does make it more of a “dip.”

Tomatoes are sometimes added as well, depending on the recipe, but I enjoyed this a lot without tomato.


Goes wonderfully with kholrabi chips, green pepper wedges, and other cool veggies.